Iridescent
by Standing Cowardly
Summary: WILL NOT BE FINISHED.
1. Chapter 1: A New Dawn

_**Hey guys! Loba here bringing you a new fic since I'm very stressed and writing fanfics helps relieve it. Plus I've been having this idea in my math notebook for a long time. I finally got around to posting it. So let me know what you think!**_

 _ **REFERENCE:**_ " _SIGN LANGUAGE"_

"Speaking"

 _Thoughts_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

 **Spring, April 2025**

How long has it been since I've seen another person, human or ape? Two weeks, a month, or a year? No, it couldn't be more than a year. I think it's been two months.

I sighed.

How would I know? I haven't touched a calendar in years, well since I was six years old. I think I'm sixteen now but I feel so much older. My two children, Hope clutching my chest and Hunter riding the backpack on me, don't make me feel any younger. Mind you, I don't mean it in a bad way. I love my kids. They've given me a reason to live and a purpose in my life after everything.

However, the twins are not my biological children. They are bonobos. I am human. Their real mother was killed by my vulgar kind about a couple months ago. Well, the whole troop was killed. We were just at the wrong place at the right time. Apparently, two feuding human factions decided to have a war which the troop was caught in between. Just collateral damage to them.

The babies were only a week old when it happened…

I stopped walking, closing my eyes as if it'd stop the flashbacks of the event from playing in my head. Little Hope sensed my distress and she began hooting to me questioningly. I looked down into her emerald eyes and told her I was fine. She stared back at me thoughtfully. I smiled and started to rub her back soothingly.

I scanned my surroundings to figure out where I was. We'd been traveling for two months from Oregon. So we should be somewhere in California now. Judging by these huge trees, we must be in the Muir Woods.

I hoped the apes from the Golden Gate Bridge incident were still out here. I can't keep travelling. Hope and Hunter _need_ a place to call home. I doubt the apes would accept me into their home. I'm fine with that as long as they take the twins with them. I'll die happy knowing they have a safe place to grow up.

I suddenly felt Hunter shift, then I didn't feel him at all. I turned around to find him standing upright, awed by the giant Redwood trees. I chuckled then said, "They're called Redwoods, love. They are the biggest trees on the planet."

The young bonobo let out panting laughter as he ran to one of the trees. He doesn't honestly think he's allowed to climb those?

"Hunter. No climbing, it's too dangerous. I'll let you climb them when you're older," I smirked. "And less clumsy."

He looked at me with tears in his eyes and pouted.

"Oh don't try to guilt trip me. This is for your own good." I said, trying to keep a straight face. His pouty face was just so hilariously adorable. Hope turned her head to stick her tongue out at her fussy brother.

He jumped on her, causing me to fall on my butt. They rolled off of me playfully wrestling with each other. I got up, taking off my aged, black hiking backpack to give my aching back a break.

Besides the kids scuffle, the forest is eerily quiet. It is spring so there should be birds chirpin at least, right?

I grabbed my water bottle and took a gulp. I offered some to the two but they didn't seem to hear me.

"Yo, want some water? I'm not asking a th-" I heard it. The sound of something big coming towards us. _Please don't be a bear_. I put on my backpack and urgently said, "Get back on me you two. _Now."_

They immediately obeyed. Hunter shrieked at something behind us.

It's a stampede of elk!

I immediately ran toward a fallen tree to hide behind, but unfortunately an elk came from my left side, knocking me to the ground.

Dazed, I quickly made sure Hope and Hunter were still on me. Hope was. Hunter wasn't.

I quickly called out his name. He hooted and I followed the sound. He was up a tree. Knowing he was safe, I told him to stay there as I ran to the log with Hope.

About fifteen minutes passed until the last of the herd disappeared into the forest's mist.

I emerged from my saving grace. I scanned the canopy and quickly found Hunter. He was in the process of climbing down his tree. We started walking towards each other but before we could reunite, a black mass landed in between us.

It stood up and I soon realized it was an ape... with a huge ass spear! To make matters worse, he did NOT look happy to see me. Quite disgusted actually.

I took a fearful step back from him. He only glared at me with his one green eye, the other gray with an ugly scar running down it. He bared his fangs at me and growled.

I gulped.

Hope hooted at him, reaching out her little hand as if to make friends with the scarred, balding bonobo. Said bonobo noticed the bundle in my arms and softened his features slightly. Though he still retained his obvious hatred towards me.

"CAESAR!" He suddenly shouted, causing me to jump and Hope to flinch at the loud, furious yell.

Soon after that name was said, a troop of apes appeared. It was a variety of bonobos, chimps and gorillas. Among them stood a strong, tall looking chimp with red and white paint on his chest and face. He looked like a leader. _You must be Caesar._

The ape leader approached me with an unreadable expression on his face. He observed me for a few moments until he decided to turn around to silence his rowdy troop whom made a ruckus as soon as they laid eyes on me.

Scarface approached Caesar and began to sign, assuming I wouldn't understand. Little did he know…

" _We should get rid of the human and bring the children to the Colony."_ Caesar shook his head disapprovingly.

" _No, Koba. She is a child as well. It is wrong to hurt a child, human or ape."_ He scolded, receiving a glare from the bonobo. Caesar turned to me and asked, "Where did you come from?"

I decided to keep my ability to sign a secret. "From the North," I pointed in said direction. "I was with a group of apes. We lived in the forests miles from here since the outbreak." I spoke loudly enough for all the apes to hear. I wanted all of them to hear my testimony.

He raised his brow. "Where are apes now?" He already seemed to know the answer.

I sighed sadly. "Dead."

"YOU KILLED THEM!" Koba angrily accused. This caused an uproar among the troop to which Caesar silenced with a single raise of his hand. _Damn._

Hunter suddenly jumped onto Koba's back, hitting his face a couple of times before he jumped onto me. The little ape gave Koba a death glare for yelling at me. _That's my boy._

Koba looked stunned. Caesar merely smirked.

"Please. I mean no harm. All I want is a safe place to raise my children." I pleaded, looking into Caesar's eyes. "That's why I travelled here after what happened. I remember seeing your escape when I was a kid. I hoped you all made a home here and I'm glad it's true."

I hoped my plea would convince him.

* * *

Koba noticed the sympathetic expression on his leader's face. He did not like this one bit. He knew Caesar had a soft spot for humans, he just hoped his loyalty to apes was stronger than his love for those monsters.

Koba asked, "Why raising ape young in the first place?" The very thought of a human raising an ape child repulsed him.

"Because I owe their real mother." She answered simply, but the pain in her voice was palpable. Koba made eye contact with her, seeing the grief within them. He quickly looked away, obviously uncomfortable with seeing such raw emotions within a human. He didn't think they'd be capable of it. All he knew was the pain they could inflict.

"I am sorry." The Ape King consoled the human.

"Enough!" Koba yelled, irritated at the fact that Caesar could not see the monster standing in front of them. _Even with my one eye, I see the truth. Why can't you?_

He glared at his King. " _Why feeling sorry for human? After all they did to apes, we should be making_ them _sorry!"_

"NO!" The enraged leader shouted, towering over Koba. He glared down at him, challenging Koba to speak out against him again. Koba immediately got on his knee, raising his palm up. Caesar swiped it after a couple seconds.

"Koba take apes home. Take food home." The scarred ape nodded and left with the troop. "Rocket. Luca. Stay."

* * *

I watched Koba lead the troop away. I wondered what my kind did to him to make him hate us so much. On second thought, I don't wanna know.

" _What have you decided?"_ The gorilla asked.

" _I do not know, Luca. I need more time to make a decision."_ Caesar signed back, shaking his head while rubbing the back of his neck. I felt bad about stressing him this much.

" _We taking them to the village?"_ The gray, practically hairless chimp asked. _You must be Rocket I presume._

" _Yes."_ Caesar looked at me and asked my name.

"My name is Nina." I responded. He nodded, putting his hand on his chest, "Caesar." _Yeah, I figured._

He gestured to his to companions. "Luca. Rocket."

"Hello." I awkwardly greet the two. The only grunt in response. I told them Hope and Hunter's names.

"Good names." Caesar smiled.

"Thank you." I smiled back.

* * *

Koba was furious. He could not believe Caesar's stupidity. Caesar! Of all apes!

He felt humility by their confrontation over the human's fate. Even more so when one of the babies decided to attack him. He didn't doubt the human had brainwashed the poor ape to attack other apes. He knew humans always attacked each other. _Human kill ape and human. Ape not kill ape. Ape superior._

He told himself this everyday after killing Jacobs. He didn't understand why he felt a twinge of remorse for killing that worthless man. Koba logically knew he deserved to die, he deserved no mercy.

Now he was feeling pity for the newcomer- no not pity. Just something other than complete hate and disgust.

He was too caught in his thoughts to notice that he and his troop were already entering the Colony. _Got here that quickly?_

His honorable nephew Blue Eyes happily greeted him. Koba calmed down a bit and gave him a hug.

" _How was the hunt?"_ The adolescent signed excitedly.

" _It was good, Blue Eyes. Apes got many kills. More than enough to feed village"_ Koba proudly told him. _Though we did find an evil._

" _Will I be able to come on next hunt?"_ Blue Eyes asked, hopeful the answer was 'yes'.

" _Maybe. I will try to convince your father."_

" _Thank you, Uncle Koba."_ And with that the young ape bounded off to go fishing with his best friend, Ash.

Koba turned his attention to an orangutan named Maurice who was teaching the young ones at the rock wall with the ape's three most sacred laws.

 _Ape not kill ape._

 _Apes. Together. Strong._

 _Knowledge is power._

Koba read them to himself as he waited for Maurice to finish his class. In all honesty, Koba didn't like reading and writing. It was too human to him, but if it made apes stronger then he was okay with it.

Finally, Maurice ended his class. The young ones excitedly ran off, some to go play, others to go home to their families.

Before Koba could approach him, Caesar, Rocket, and Luca returned.

Rocket and Luca immediately order the apes go to their homes until further notice. Koba felt like he was going to be sick. He knew why Caesar had ordered that.

 _He brought it here._

Lo' and behold as soon as the coast was clear, the human came into view with the babies holding on to her as if she was their mother. _Disgusting._

Koba could only watch, his fists balled up in anger as Caesar led her to his home.

 _ **So there's my first DotPotA fic for ya. Let me know about spelling/gramatical errors and if any of the characters seem OOC.**_

 _ **Also I do not know when I will update this since I do not have an update schedule, but if it gets positive feedback I'll try to update ASAP.**_

 _ **Side note for those of you reading my Jurassic Park fic 'Rexy's Niece': I will be updating that fic as soon as school is over. I get out on June 19th. So expect an update around that time!**_

 _ **Have a nice day/night.**_


	2. Chapter 2: The Choice

_**Here's chapter two of**_ **Iridescent** _ **. Thanks for the reviews and follows/favorites! :)**_

 _ **Hope you enjoy!**_

Amazing. Absolutely amazing. I stood in Caesar's home marveling at the view below; the Ape Colony. It was breathtaking. I knew they'd built a home here but I didn't think it would be like this. It was natural. It was peaceful. It was beautiful.

 _This could be our home._

"What is this?" I turned around to find the orangutan, Maurice, holding up a canister of baby formula. The apes wanted to search my backpack for weapons and other potentially harmful objects.

"That's what I feed the twins. You mix it with some boiled water, wait for it to cool to body temperature and you got milk." I explained. The orange ape looked intrigued. He then pulled out one of their baby bottles.

"I remember these. Used to feed young." Maurice said. Caesar nodded in agreement.

"Uh-yeah. Since I'm currently not naturally producing milk, I had to improvise. It's kept them alive and well so far." I said rather awkwardly.

Hope let out a loud, cute yawn and snuggled closer to my chest, her little hands hanging on tightly to my Captain America hoodie.

"Looks like little one getting sleepy." Spoke a soft, feminine voice. I looked towards the entrance to see a female chimp with a crown of flowers on her head.

Unsure of what else to do, I turned to Caesar to tell me who this kind stranger was. "My wife, Cornelia." He said with a smile.

 _Oh shit, she's the queen._ "Oh hello, Cornelia." I bowed my head in respect. I decided to sign as I noticed that most apes found it easier to communicate using sign. " _My name is Nina."_

Maurice and Caesar both gave me a look of disbelief, and...worry?

" _You know sign?"_ Maurice was the first to ask. I nodded.

Caesar seemed concerned. " _So you know what Koba said?"_

" _Yes. I do not take offense to what he said. I understand the suffering my kind has caused to apes. It is only natural for those who suffered to not trust us."_ I kept a straight face. I didn't want to show them that I feared the scarred bonobo and what he could do to me.

* * *

The angry bonobo stood outside the entrance of Caesar's home. Along with him was Rocket. Luca had left on sentry duty. The apes knew humans rarely travelled alone, so they had to keep an eye out for any others that might have been traveling with the newcomer.

Koba suspected the female human was a decoy to get them to lose their guard. His whole body burned with hate as he remembered what the humans did to him. The cutting, the pain, the abuse…

He startled when Rocket touched his shoulder. " _You okay?"_

Koba nodded. " _Am just worried about human."_

The chimp grunted. " _I am as well. Caesar is wise so we mustn't worry too much."_ He tried to assure the bonobo.

Koba didn't voice that he didn't think Caesar would make a wise decision. He knew it by the simple fact that Caesar brought her to the apes' home, hell to HIS own home. So what are the chances he will kick her out?

He should've taken the babies home and chased her off, better yet he should have killed her. That's what Koba wanted to do, that's what Koba would have done, but unfortunately he was not the leader. It frustrated him greatly. Being a member of the Ape Council sometimes wasn't enough.

By the time Caesar and Maurice came out, it was sunset. They were in there for at least three hours. Koba hoped that was enough time for Caesar to make a decision. Caesar approached the bonobo.

" _Assemble the council. We will discuss what to do with Nina."_ Caesar signed. Rocket ran,off to collect Blue Eyes and his son, Ash, for the meeting. Koba frowned at the human's name.

" _Where is the human?"_ Koba asked Caesar. He wanted to know if she was contained before he set off to fetch Luca and the gorilla's brother, Harambe.

Caesar sighed before replying, "In my spare room. Sleeping with young ones." Koba nodded, keeping his boiling anger from seeping out. He then ran off to complete his task.

As he ran on all fours to Luca's post, he already knew Caesar had made his decision. Regardless of what the council said.

It didn't matter to Koba. He'd take care of the human himself.

* * *

I woke up to hoots and shouting coming from outside. It took me awhile to figure out where I was and why.

"Sleep well?" Cornelia asked. I looked to my left and found her sitting in an ape-made chair. She held Hope in her arms, rocking her back to sleep. I guessed the baby woke up because of the commotion outside too before me.

" _I wouldn't say well. How long have I been asleep?"_ I signed, tiredly getting out of the bed full of animal furs. I was careful not to wake up Hunter who was sleeping next to me.

" _Not very long."_ The Ape Queen paused, then added, " _Maybe one hour."_ I can see why it took her awhile to add that. I doubted the apes knew how to tell time given the only clocks we have are the sun and the seasons. But she was right. My dad's watch proved it.

" _Well one hour or not, it was still helpful. Thank you for letting us sleep here."_ I politely signed. Cornelia told me it was no problem. She was happy to give us a place to rest.

Cornelia gently put Hope on the bed, next to her brother. The little ape immediately cuddled close to Hunter who didn't seem to mind the extra warmth.

"I must go to the meeting. There is food on table over there," She pointed to one of the corners of the room. My backpack was there as well. " _Stay here until Caesar comes back."_

I waited a couple minutes after she left to gorge myself on the meal left for me. The meat was most likely elk, with a side of berries. I hadn't had a meal this good since I lost my troop.

As I ate, I recalled our conversation earlier. I told them everything. Almost my whole life's story. I told them about how my father and mother taught me sign language because they wanted to communicate with me sooner rather than waiting for me to speak my first words. I told them about how, when I was four, my parents were murdered and that the killer was never caught.

I told them about having to move in with my uncle and his wife after their deaths. But only a year after I moved in with them, my Aunt Clara went missing.

I didn't tell them how it devastated Uncle Zaius who turned to booze to deal with his pain. I didn't tell them how he would neglect me. He never hit me, he only never noticed me. I was on my own. I had to feed myself as best I could after my uncle lost his job. I was a five year old trying to take care of an adult and myself. It sucked.

And then another year later the Simian Flu happened. I remember seeing the escaped apes incident on the news with my uncle. Something changed in him and he told me we had to leave Portland. So we did. We went into his hunting cabin in the Oregon forests. It was stocked with enough supplies to last us several years.

My uncle died soon after moving in. I found him on his favorite couch, blood on his mouth and hands.

It took me a week to finally bury him.

Things got better though. A year later a troop of apes stumbled upon my cabin. They, at first were wary of me, but their leader, a female bonobo named Zira grew fond of me the moment she saw me. So I let them live in my cabin with me. I wasn't alone anymore and I even taught them sign. Zira already knew sign so she helped teach too.

I did tell them about Zira and her troop. I told them how Zira adopted me as her daughter and I adopted her as my mother.

Long story short, I spent most of my life with apes. So you could say I was raised by them.

After I finished eating, I went back to bed.

I tried not to wake up the twins who were still sound asleep. Soon I'll have to start teaching them to sign. I've already seen Hope trying to do it.

I sighed as I got into a comfortable position, holding my kids close. I hoped I'd be allowed to stay here.

* * *

The human was going to be allowed to stay.

Despite Koba's best efforts to convince not only Caesar but also the other members of the council to evict the human.

Surprisingly many of the members voted to take her into the Colony, including Rocket, Maurice, Luca, Harambe, and even Cornelia. Though there were many who opposed it.

Koba and his two friends, Grey and Stone, were not at all happy with the decision. They were the ones that started the uproar among the apes who opposed the choice. As usual, Caesar was able to silence them before they could wake up every ape in the village.

Now Koba sat near the main fire with Grey and Stone at his sides. All three of them ate in sulking silence. _What do I do?_

Koba didn't know. He couldn't kill her. Did he want to kill her? He didn't know that either.

He sighed, feeling defeated but not willing to accept it. He stood up.

" _Where are you going?"_ Grey asked.

"To speak to Caesar." The bonobo replied with a grunt.

As he turned in the direction of Caesar's home, he bumped into Harambe. The huge gorilla was unfazed by the bump since he still stood tall and proud, almost like a statue.

" _Caesar requests your presence."_ The silverback signed. Koba nodded in response.

He quickly knuckle-walked to Caesar's home tree, wondering why Caesar summoned him.

* * *

Caesar, Cornelia, and I waited for Koba to arrive. I was grateful and relieved that Caesar allowed me to stay. But Caesar's summoning of Koba was making me quite uneasy. _Why would they want us to be in the same room?_

"Caesar?" A hoarse voice asked. That voice gave me chills and not the good kind.

"Koba. Sit down." Caesar gestured to the chair next to me. Koba looked offended at being told to sit next to a human but he obeyed.

Caesar took a deep breath. I had a feeling that he knew Koba wasn't going to like what he had to say. _What if I don't like it either?_

" _I know the human staying in the colony angers you. I know you just fear for the apes' safety."_ Koba grunted in confirmation. Caesar continued, " _In order for you to feel secure about our new member, I have decided to have her and her children live with you."_ Koba was too shocked to reply. I was as well.

 _The ape that hates my very existence is going to be my roommate? Great._ I tried to control my shaking hands.

" _Before you voice your protests, it will only be temporary. We are building her a hut near the edge of the colony. Away from most apes. In the meantime, she will live with you. You will be her guardian and mentor. You must teach her our ways."_ The chimp finished.

We all sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity. Until finally Koba spoke, "Why?" His voice was eerily unflustered, as if it was the calm before the storm.

Caesar made sure to keep eye contact as he signed, " _Because you have learned nothing but hate from humans. Hate leads to destruction,"_ The Ape King glanced at me. " _Destruction leads to death. I want you to find peace. This is your chance for it. Maybe from her, a human, you'll learn it."_

He paused before adding, " _Go to your dwelling and decide where you want your new company to sleep."_

Koba quickly stormed out of there. I could tell he was pissed. He looked tense as Caesar spoke to him, like a spring waiting to unwind.

Cornelia sighed, giving her husband a worried expression.

I turned to Caesar. "You sure this is a good idea?"

He didn't meet my eyes. "We'll see."

 _ **Let me know what you think!**_


	3. Chapter 3: Evasion

_**Woohoo three updates in like less than a week. I'm on a roll! You guys' reviews/favs/follows have been giving me a lot of motivation to keep this story moving so keep showing your support. Thank you.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

In his fit of rage, Koba shattered his elk skull on the ground. It was hanging at the top of the entrance to his home. That skull was from a hunt almost a decade ago. Now he looked down at the pieces, frowning at what he'd done to the souvenir of his first elk kill.

He entered his home, looking for the next object to unleash his anger upon. He didn't have many belongings, so he decided to not destroy what little he had.

Instead he walked to his bed and sat down, letting out a long, tired sigh. He'd spent the past twenty four hours filled with rage and hate. It was finally tiring him out.

The ape put his face in his hands, trying to muffle his frustrated scream. How could Caesar allow that repulsive thing to stay in the village? She was dangerous! Why couldn't he see that?

What he found even more appalling was that Caesar was making him share his home with the _human?_ What was his King thinking?

 _Doesn't know what's best for apes. Too blind because of love for humans._

Koba thought about killing her while she slept in his home, but he quickly threw that idea away. Caesar would know he murdered her. _To Caesar ape not kill human as well._

He took a deep breath, putting his hands on his lap. He reasoned that he and the human would rarely interact so maybe living with her won't be as bad.

' _You must teach her our ways.'_ Caesar's words replayed in his head, mocking him. The scarred bonobo scoffed. What can he teach a human? Why should he teach her anyways? She was not an ape.

He sighed. There was no way of avoiding interaction with her. Caesar should've assigned the teaching job to Maurice.

He got off of his bed to stand in the middle of his home. The ape took a moment to calm himself as best he could given his situation. He didn't want to break any more of his stuff.

Once somewhat calmed, he began taking the belongings from the left side of his dwelling to the right, where his bed was located in. _Koba's side. Human will not go here._

Once he organized his belongings on his side, he went outside to gather sticks and rocks. He wanted to build a line dividing his side from the human's. It didn't take him long to build it.

Now done, he laid himself on his bed. He didn't want to be awake when she arrived.

Lucky for him, sleep came quickly.

* * *

I stood outside Koba's home with Caesar and Rocket at my sides. I was nervous, Caesar must've noticed my unease.

"Do not be afraid." He reassured then signed, " _Koba is not a bad ape. He is only an ape that has seen and been through bad things because of your kind."_ He took a deep breath before adding, " _That is the past. Koba must learn to move on from it."_

I nodded in both agreement and understanding.

Caesar turned to Rocket to tell him that he may leave but before the gray chimp did so he turned to me and said, "Good luck." _Thanks. I'm sure I'll need it._ I told myself seriously.

Before I entered my new temporary home I asked Caesar how long it'd take for them to build me my own home.

"Do not know. At most a couple of months."

I sighed, knowing that those two months are going to be the longest two of my life. "Thank you for letting me stay here. You have no idea how grateful I am. Goodnight, Caesar."

" _Am happy to help. Goodnight, Nina."_ He gave me a warm smile before he left.

It took me a few minutes to muster up the guts to enter Koba's home. I looked down at Hope and Hunter sleeping in my arms, giving me the courage to finally enter.

I nearly tripped on something. In the darkness, I was barely able to see a small wall. _So he made a line._ I concluded. I would respect it.

I went to the empty side of the home and got out my sleeping bag. All I had was my backpack and the contents inside of it. It made me feel a bit sad.

As I was preparing the sleeping bag, the twins woke up.

"Hey, sleepy heads." I gently patted their heads, then set them on the ground. They waited patiently for me to roll down the bag.

When I finished, I snuggled myself in the bed I've used for the last couple of months. The babies snuggled inside with me too, letting out squeak-like yawns. They fell back to sleep in seconds.

I had no such luck. I lied there unable to sleep until the first rays of light began to seep through the branches that made up the hut. I felt tired but for whatever reason couldn't sleep.

I heard noise coming from Koba's side. I looked at him lying on his bed, shaking his head side to side and mumbling. He soon woke up with a fearful shriek, sitting up. He turned his head in my direction, glaring at me as if he was thinking of all the ways he could kill me.

I quickly turned away, focusing my attention on the ceiling.

A couple of minutes later I heard Koba leave.

 _Good morning to you too._

* * *

" _I can't believe you voted for the human to stay."_ Blue Eyes signed to the ashy colored chimp. The two teenagers were fishing at the river, both having a spear in hand.

" _I can't believe you didn't. She doesn't seem so bad so I don't know why you wanted her to leave."_ Ash finished with a snort.

" _Doesn't seem so bad? You haven't even met her yet!"_ The prince told his friend, obviously irritated with him.

" _She's raising a dead ape's babies. So yes, she is not bad."_ Ash paused before adding, " _Her name is Nina, so stop calling her 'the human', okay?"_

" _Whatever, human lover."_ Blue Eyes taunted his friend. Ash only hooted amusingly.

" _Ash loves the kind, human or ape."_ He stated matter-of-factly. The Ape Prince only frowned in response before saying, "Koba says all humans bad. Apes should hate them."

Rocket's son scoffed, " _Don't always listen to what others tell you."_

They ended the conversation there, focusing on getting as many fish as possible. Blue Eyes wanted to impress his father, maybe if he showed him his fishing prowess, Caesar would upgrade him to hunting elk. Ash only wanted to impress a female. She loved fish and he would always give her a couple from his catches.

Then his thoughts turned to something other than fishing. The teenage prince began to think about the human. _Nina._

Blue Eyes wasn't happy with his father's decision to allow her to live here. He hadn't met her yet, but he knew she was bad, given with what had Koba told him about her kind. He recalled Ash's words from their conversation and couldn't help feeling a bit bad about his prejudice towards Nina. Plus Ash was right about not always listening to what others tell you, his honorary cousin was always right.

A few minutes later, the two teenagers began heading back to the village. Before their parents woke up to realize they were gone. Blue Eyes' father especially didn't like it when he left the colony without an escort. Hopefully the ten fish he caught would impress him and maybe he won't be as angry.

"Ash?" He asked.

" _What?"_

" _You think we should give the hu- Nina some fish?"_ Blue Eyes corrected himself.

Ash raised his brow and smiled before answering, " _Sure. Why the sudden change of heart, brother?"_

Blue Eyes only shrugged in response. Just because he was giving her food, didn't mean he trusted and accepted her.

Besides, he was only doing it for the baby apes that looked to her as their mother.

* * *

Koba hadn't returned. To say I was relieved would be an understatement.

After he left, I quickly fell asleep. I think I slept a solid three hours but I surprisingly feel like I slept eight. I could've slept a bit longer if the twins didn't want me to get out of bed.

"Alright, I'm up." I told them as I got out of the sleeping bag. Up on my feet, I tried to fix up my short, dark brown hair as best I could since I didn't have a mirror. My bangs covered my left eye, so I adjusted them to let me see through them. Never give yourself a pixie cut unless you know what you're doing.

I jumped when I suddenly heard hooting coming from outside the hut. The twins ran out, wanting to greet whoever it was I guessed. I ran after them.

When I got out, I saw two chimps, one had lighter fur, the other dark fur. Both were holding a lot of fish. The lighter colored one was happily greeting Hunter. Hope was more interested in the dark haired one who didn't seem to know what to do with the baby ape. It was a bit amusing.

"Good morning." I politely told the two. I wasn't even sure if it was still the morning. I left my watch in my sleeping bag.

The lighter one with a starburst of pink on his lips signed it back to me. He then told me his name. _Ash._

Ash gestured to his friend. " _Blue Eyes,"_ He then pointed at me. " _Nina."_ I was surprised he knew my name.

"Yes that's me. So um… why are you here?" I asked. I was getting fidgety because Blue Eyes was staring at me with such intensity, I couldn't help but be self conscious.

Ash seemed to notice this as he slapped his friend's shoulder, bringing the ape's gaze to Hope. The gray chimp rolled his eyes at him then answered my question. "Here to give fish." He offered up two of them.

I wanted to decline the offer but I didn't want to be rude so I took the fish. "Thank you, Ash."

Ash signed, " _You're welcome."_

"Stay away from human!" A voice angrily commanded. It was Koba.

" _It was Blue Eyes' idea!"_ Ash accused, though it looked like he was joking. Koba narrowed his eye at the two apes. " _Leave before I tell your fathers."_ The teenagers obeyed.

I sighed. _I guess I won't be making any friends here._

The scarred bonobo looked at me, then at the two fish in my hands. He snatched them away before saying, _"Stay away from other apes but me."_ He snarled at me.

Hunter didn't like that. He climbed the rude ape and pulled at his ears. When Koba tried to get him off, the little rascal bit his fingers. Satisfied with his work, the baby climbed onto me and began grooming my hair. Hope just wanted me to hold her.

Koba angrily glared at me. _You started it._

"Take young to Cornelia." He ordered then added, " _I am going to teach you to fish."_

The bonobo went into his home… with my fish.

I did as I was told. I was already on thin ice with Koba just because of what species I was. I didn't want to give him another reason to hate me.

On my way there, I received many looks from the apes. Most of the adults looked at me with anger, the young ones with curiosity. _Of course they're curious. They must've never seen a human before._

I entered Caesar's home and found the King seated in front of a chess board. He greeted me.

"Koba said to bring the babies to Cornelia. He's going to take me fishing." I explained. Caesar seemed surprised.

"Okay. Be careful." He said. I kissed both the twins' heads before heading back to Koba.

I wasn't nervous.

I was utterly terrified.

I knew I had to do this. It would benefit not only my survival, but Hope and Hunter's as well.

 _This is my first day here, as a member of the colony._ Or was I? Koba definitely didn't see me as one. He was only doing this because Caesar had told him to.

 _Oh god. What if he tries to drown me? Or skewer me with his harpoon?_

I felt like I was stepping into my grave as I entered his (our?) home.

 _ **So yeah, this chapter is a bit shorter. Sorry about that. Hope you enjoyed regardless! Leave a review to let me know what you think so far!**_

 _ **Have a nice day/night!**_


	4. Chapter 4: Misconception

_**Enjoy! :)**_

Ash wouldn't let up on Blue Eyes. He was irritated that the prince didn't speak to the human, or sign for that matter.

" _Why did you just stare at her?"_ The gray chimp asked for the tenth time, hoping he'd finally get an answer out of his friend.

Blue Eyes shrugged. " _I don't know. I just..."_ He paused thinking of the right words to sign. " _Expected an ugly monster. Not her"_ The blue eyed teen actually found her to be cute… just a little bit. Of course, he didn't tell Ash that detail.

" _Plus how does one interact with a human anyways?"_ He added.

Ash just rolled his eyes. "Bet you were scared of her."

"Was not!" Blue Eyes playfully shoved his best friend who shoved him back.

" _Let's not forget how you didn't know what to do with the baby!"_ Rocket's son started laughing in the form of pant-hoots.

The King's son laughed along with him. " _Let's not speak of that again."_

" _Sure, brother. Whatever you say."_ He gave the prince a devious grin. Ash wasn't going to let this go was he?

* * *

Koba and I were standing at the edge of the river, both of us with a spear in hand. The ape was at first hesitant about giving me a weapon, but I guess he figured he could easily overpower me even with one.

He didn't tell me what to do other than to watch him, so I did. I observed him scan the water, spear just above its surface. Then he would suddenly jab his weapon into the water, bringing it back to the surface with a fish wriggling at its tip.

After he caught about seven of them within a ten minute time frame, he looked to me and signed, _"Your turn."_

I decided to step into the water, up until it reached my knees. Koba hadn't done this so I hoped I wouldn't lose points with him.

The water was cold despite the weather being relatively warm. Even though only half my legs were in the water, I couldn't stop my teeth from chattering.

I realized I had to be as quiet and as still as I possibly could.

It worked because two minutes later I got a fish. _That wasn't so hard._

I turned to Koba, a triumphant smile on my face as I showed him my catch. He only grunted and frowned before saying, "Catch more."

Well my luck seemed to run out with my first fish. I couldn't catch anymore for the life of me.

After a few more failed attempts, Koba said it was time to go. I felt defeated though I didn't show it.

The scarred bonobo didn't seem to be disappointed, it was like he expected me to do poorly. _What a great teacher._ I thought sarcastically.

He took the spear out of my hands and told me to collect the pile of fish. He would bring his horse, Mary, over. She was tied to a tree a few meters away.

I put them in a net-like bag, draping it over my shoulder. I didn't think eight fish could weigh this much.

Suddenly, I heard a branch snap. At first, I thought it was Koba approaching with the horse but then I realized the sound came from behind me. Not from my right where my ape teacher would be coming from.

I let out a shaky breath. _I was being hunted._

By what, I didn't know. I hoped it was just my mind playing tricks on me, so I decided to turn around and see what it was.

As I was doing so something jumped out of the brush. I got slapped in the face with such force it knocked me to the ground, leaving me dazed.

I rolled onto my back just in time to see a cougar about to pounce on me. I immediately grabbed the bag of fish, putting it between me and the big cat.

It was the only thing keeping it from ripping my throat out.

I did the only thing I knew to do. I just hoped he'd come to my aid.

"KOBA! HELP ME!" I desperately called out.

* * *

Koba heard the desperate cry of the human. He quickly rode his horse to her, stopping a couple of meters away. The cougar on top of her didn't seem to care, or even notice the ape's presence as it kept up its assault on Nina, desperately trying to bite her throat.

Time seemed to slow. Koba got off of Mary, tightly clenching his spear in his right hand. He could easily kill the predator, but he was debating whether he should.

If he let it kill her, all his problems would be solved. Koba could just tell the others that she ran off and got herself killed. But then he thought of the two young bonobos who knew her as their mother, did he really want to take away their surrogate mother?

No he didn't. He may not remember much about his own mother, but he did remember her gentle, loving touch. He remembered her tickles. Who was he to take that away from a child?

That would be dishonorable, something a human would do.

Before he was even aware of it, his spear stabbed into the side of the cougar.

* * *

As suddenly as the attack began, it stopped. The animal's body went limp. I struggled to push it off me but luckily I managed. I looked at the spear, then at Koba.

Shakily, I signed, " _Thank you, Koba."_ I was too out of breath to say those words.

My saviour only grunted, then proceeded to take the embedded spear out of the big cat.

He turned his attention back to me. " _You are hurt."_

I touched the cheek which the carnivore had hit and it stung. I winced at the pain, finally noticing the blood on me.

"It could've been worse." I replied, managing a weak smile. I saw the corners of Koba's mouth twitch, as if he was suppressing a smile of his own.

"Go back. Will be right behind you." He ordered, with a frown.

I slowly got up, feeling a bit dizzy. My arm hurt like hell and felt wet and warm.

I felt lightheaded as I practically stumbled in the direction of the Ape Village. Next thing I knew I was falling, I heard panicked hurts before I passed out. At least I think that's what I heard.

* * *

The human had fainted. Koba didn't know what to do. He still had the voice in his head telling him to leave her but for whatever reason he still couldn't let her die.

He called out for his people. He didn't want to risk injuring her more by taking her back himself.

It didn't take long for a few members of the Gorilla Guardians to arrive.

Among them was their leader, Luca. The gorilla looked at the dead cougar then at Nina, still passed out on the hard, rock covered ground. He put two and two together, then ordered his brother, Harambe, to carry the human to the Healers. Luca carried the cougar's body. A kill like this shouldn't be left behind.

Koba quickly got onto his horse, with the fish. He found himself actually worrying about the human's health. _Will she survive?_ He wasn't sure.

He didn't think the bite on her arm had been bad enough to make her pass out. He guessed it was because humans were weaker than apes.

If she survived, she'd no doubt have scars. The most notable being the three claw marks on her right cheek. _Scars mean strength._ Koba thought, running his finger across one of his many scars. All of which were caused by humans like Nina. _No not like Nina._ He quickly shook that that away, scoffing at his brief moment of stupidity. All humans were the same. She was no exception.

Still he couldn't completely block out the logical part of him, telling him that he was wrong.

After all his horse was named after the first human he knew. One that showed him kindness and love before the cruel ones got ahold of him.

As he entered the village, he found himself following Harambe with the unconscious Nina to the Healing Center.

* * *

Blue Eyes and Ash watched as Harambe passed by them. Their eyes widened as they saw a bleeding Nina draped over the silverback's shoulder.

"Should tell Caesar." Ash said. Blue Eyes didn't need to be told twice.

He quickly climbed into his Home Tree. He quickly located his father grooming his mother on their bed.

"Father... Nina hurt." The Ape Prince said urgently.

"Where?" His father asked. His son pointed in the direction Harambe was heading to.

He anxiously followed his father to the healing center.

They entered, quickly finding Nina in the hands of Sparrow. A chimp who was a healer as well as one of Cornelia's midwives.

" _What happened?"_ Caesar demanded. He didn't notice Koba standing behind the female chimp until the bonobo said, "Was attacked by cougar."

The King turned his attention to Sparrow, "Will she survive?"

" _Yes. Most likely. Unless infection occurs."_ The healer signed professionally.

"Okay. Tell me when she wakes up." Caesar headed out, he needed to tell Cornelia that she'd have to keep the twins in their home until Nina was capable of caring for them again.

Blue Eyes didn't follow his father. Instead he just stared at the bleeding human, not quite understanding _why_ he was so worried about someone he just met.

Sparrow told him that if he wasn't going to help he should go.

As he walked out, he felt like his legs were made of lead. He didn't really want to leave and it scared him. But he figured he needed to tell Ash what happened.

 _She will be okay._ He reassured himself.

 _ **Or will she Blue? Anyways sorry about the shorter chapter. I wanted to end it on a dramatic note. Plus you guys get an update almost every two to three days. xD So I figured I could make it up to y'all.**_

 _ **So let me know what you think! Thanks for the support!**_


	5. Chapter 5: Waiting for Love

_**THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT. I honestly didn't think this fic would get this much attention. To me 6 favorites, 5 follows, and 11 reviews is a lot. Cx**_

 _ **I will be replying to reviews in the next chapter so be sure to leave one! :)**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

Koba stood by Nina's bedside, hoping she'd wake up soon. He stayed there until the last rays of the sun finally left the village shrouded in darkness, with only the torches to keep it lit enough for the patrols to navigate.

The bonobo sighed tiredly. The fishing trip wasn't supposed to end like this. He felt as if he failed Caesar; he was supposed to act as not only the human's mentor, but as her guardian as well. Even if he didn't like the idea of protecting a human, he didn't want to disobey or worse, disappoint his leader.

The scarred warrior was still wondering _if_ he would've even gotten in trouble if he let her die. He groaned pitifully. He was too old for this crap, granted not as old as Maurice but still. Koba shouldn't have to shoulder the burden of a pet human. _Pet human?_

That's what his friends, Grey and Stone, referred to her as: Koba's pet human.

Well he didn't see her as an equal so pet human would do. He didn't want to call her by her name. Hell, he found her to be beneath his horse. _If so, then why did I save her?_

Another question he could not answer.

All these questions he's been asking himself for these past few hours were aggravating.

He clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth. He needed to leave. Why was he even doing here?

He told Sparrow to update him on her condition. He needed to see Caesar.

Koba got there rather quickly, since the path to Caesar's tree was cleared because most of the apes went into there homes for the night. Before he entered he knocked on the floor.

"Who there?" Caesar's deep, authoritative voice asked.

"Koba." He replied simply. When he was given a grunt to come in he quickly did so, getting onto his knees, raising a supplicating palm which was swiped quickly.

" _Came here to take babies to my home."_ Koba informed.

Caesar raised his brow, unsure if his practically antisocial friend was being serious. " _You sure?"_

Koba nodded, briefly taking a deep breath before signing. " _Caesar assigned me to take care of human and her children. They are my responsibility as well."_ He looked down at the ground, trying to hide his frown from his leader. He felt wrong referring to the twins as Nina's children.

"Okay then." Caesar turned his head, calling out for his mate. She came to where her husband and Koba were standing, Hope in her arms.

" _Koba will be taking Hope and Hunter now."_ Cornelia seemed saddened that they were leaving but she complied, handing Hope to the bonobo before going to fetch Hunter.

Koba felt awkward holding the baby. He had never held one before, Blue Eyes didn't really count as he had climbed onto Koba rather than being held by the adult.

Cornelia quickly came back, reluctantly giving Hunter to Koba. Hunter frowned and screeched, refusing to be held by the one-eyed ape. Instead he stood on the ground glaring up at him.

Koba and Caesar both huffed in amusement. Hunter was a funny boy.

"Follow Koba, Hunter." Caesar kindly told him. And so the little ape did, albeit grumpily.

As they walked back home, Koba was paranoid about losing the young male bonobo who was walking beside him on all fours. He felt as if at any moment, Hunter would run off. Koba didn't put it past him. The kid was going to be a troublemaker in the future.

Once at his home, Koba put Hope and Hunter onto the sleeping bag. They looked up at him with confused expressions. Hope was the first to act.

"Ma?" She questioned in a cute, squeaky voice. Koba wondered if she's ever spoken to Nina before. The adult ape didn't know how to respond. He knew apes at her age were smart but he didn't know if they were smart enough to understand that their parent is injured.

Not wanting to lie he said, "Your mother is hurt."

Both babies tilted their heads as they processed their elder's words. They nodded in understanding after a few seconds, though Hope had tears in her eyes. Hunter sensing his sister's distress looked at Koba and signed, slowly and clumsily, " _Sing?"_

That had Koba scratching his head, quite literally. They wanted him to sing. He scoffed and turned around, walking towards his bed.

Soon after getting into a comfortable position, he felt something climb on the bed. He looked to see what or who it was. It was Hope, staring at him with sleepy eyes before she cuddled up close to him, not noticing Koba's tenseness. Her brother soon followed.

Koba only sighed, knowing he'd have to share his bed with them tonight. _Only tonight._

He had to admit, he enjoyed the renewed warmth these two have brought to not only his scarred body, but also to his heart on this beautiful night.

* * *

Blue Eyes was restless. He tossed and turned on his soft moss covered bed, unable to sleep. At last he gave up on sleep, opting to quietly leave his home. He felt giddy after sneakily passing by his sleeping parents. Now all he had to do was figure out _what_ to do until morning, or at least until he was tired enough to actually fall asleep.

He headed in the direction of Ash's home, hoping his best friend would be awake. Unfortunately, he wasn't. But his parents were…

They were sat outside of their home, Ash's mother, Tinker, rested her head on Rocket's shoulder. They both looked up at the stars smiling. They had always been a happy and loving couple, like Blue Eyes' own parents.

Before they could notice his presence, the prince quickly left with new thoughts forming in his mind. _Not new._ Just thoughts he's tried to suppress, but now must bring up in order to keep himself busy until sunrise.

The pressure of finding a mate was something that stressed Blue Eyes immensely, more than he let on. Of course, his father nor his mother specifically told him that he must find a mate, but being the future leader implies it. He must have an heir of his own. With who? He didn't know.

He wouldn't have trouble finding a female chimp if he wanted to. The handsome ape knew many females found him to be attractive. The problem was that he didn't find any of them appealing. He didn't think they were ugly, he just wasn't interested in any of them. It frustrated the teenager to no end. Why couldn't he be like Ash?

Ash had been in love with this female for a year now. Her name was Adara. Ash had told him that the first time he saw her, all he could do was stare at her. He was absolutely speechless. A year later and the ape hadn't told her how he felt for fear that she didn't feel the same way, but from the looks of it, she did feel the same way about Ash. Who knows when they'd confess?

Blue Eyes sighed. Why couldn't that happen to him already? _It already has._

His blue eyes widened in shocked realization. He did the same thing Ash did when he saw Adara. Only the prince stared at Nina with speechless amazement. _Crap._

He mentally slapped himself, telling himself he was overthinking it. He didn't have a- what did Ash call it? _A crush._ Yes that. He did not have a crush on a human. Nope. Nope. Nope.

His father would not approve. Koba would DEFINITELY not approve. So he reasoned it was best to push these _feelings_ away and just avoid Nina. Not like he wanted to befriend her anyways, right?

 _Right._

* * *

There was light hitting my eyes. It pissed me off. I whined, using my arm to shield my groggy eyes. For some reason, my other arm felt so sore I wanted to cut it off.

My whine seemed to have alerted someone to remove the irritating light since it was out of my face. I moved my arm, opening my eyes to see where I was. _Well shit. This isn't Koba's home._

"You were attacked by a mountain lion yesterday. In healing hut now." A female voice informed me. I turned my head into her direction and saw a chimp with some kind of white mask on her face. It looked to be made of feathers. She also had a necklace around her neck, made pit of beads and bones. She looked like a tribal healer.

"My kids?" I asked, my voice was raspy. Before she answered, she gave me a drink of water. That was the best damn drink of water I've had in my life.

" _Children are with Koba. You must stay here for a few days."_ She informed me. _A few days? I can't be hurt that badly._

I tried getting out of the bed but failed miserably. The pain was too much and my left arm couldn't support my weight. My whole body was sore, my arm felt the worst. I noticed it had a big leaf wrapped crudely around it. I sighed. I need to get this properly bandaged. This may work for apes but it sure as hell won't work for me. I have a first aid kit in my backpack. I groaned in pain before asking, "What is your name?"

" _Sparrow."_ The chimp signed.

"Thank you, Sparrow, for patching me up. But I need to go back to the twins. Plus I have a first aid kit in my backpack. I need to stitch up this bite. Humans don't heal like apes do." I told her politely. I realized my cheek felt weird so I gently touched it with two of my fingers. After contact, I looked at my fingers. There was green paste on them. _Must be some herb mixture._ I thought.

"Need to ask Caesar first. Stay here." She ordered. I rolled my eyes. _Doctors. No matter what the species, they are all alike._ I laughed lightly.

I waited about fifteen minutes for Sparrow to arrive with Caesar. Surprisingly, Koba was with right behind them, Hope and Hunter in his arms. Upon seeing me, the twins quickly ran to me, climbing up the bed.

"Ma!" Hope happily squealed. I stared at her in shock, my lips slowly forming into a proud smile. _My baby girl said her first word!_

"Yes, sweetie. Mom's here." I kissed her head.

Another milestone happened, this time it was Hunter's. " _Better?"_ I gave him a proud smile and a kiss on the head too.

"Yes, son. I am better." _Only because of you two._

Caesar grunted to get my attention. "You may go home." He paused before signing, " _Sparrow says you cannot go fishing again until your wounds are completely healed."_

I nodded to both the adult chimps in understanding.

Koba led me back home, this time he didn't glare at me the whole way.

In fact, he only gave me a confused frown here and there. _He is probably confused about how a_ human _could survive a mountain lion attack._

Well I hope he'd take me fishing again anyways. He wasn't that bad of a teacher after all.

 _ **Ahhh I love this time of the school year. My mind is feeling creative and we aren't doing crap in class. Perfect combination to get to writing chapters for my fanfics.**_

 _ **Anyways lemme know what you think.**_

 _ **And as always have a nice day/night!**_


	6. Chapter 6: Changes

_**Enjoy!**_

 **May 2025**

It's been two weeks since the mountain lion attack and our arrival to the Ape Colony. I haven't done all that much during these two weeks since I had to recover from my injuries. At least the twins didn't have to stay home all day with me. They got to go to school where they are being taught sign language and the apes' culture. Both of them were learning quickly, always excited to share what they've learned with me when they got back from class.

I sat in the bed Harambe built for me. It's frame was made using sturdy, yet flexible branches, and bricks taken from the city. It was surprisingly comfortable, the bedding was made of mostly moss and other plant material. I used my sleeping bag as a blanket, and sometimes as a pillow. Hope and Hunter had their own little hammocks above my bed but they rarely used them.

They preferred to sleep with me.

My injuries have healed for the most part. The scratches on my face have fully healed, leaving behind fresh, pink scars of claw marks. My arm still needs a little more time, but it's good too. Luckily, it didn't get infected.

Koba hasn't really said much to me in these two weeks. He only ever looks at me, sometimes glaring, other times with a frown. More recently he's been giving me a different look, one I haven't been able to figure out yet.

As for friends… well I haven't made any. I could've formed a friendship with those two male chimps, Blue Eyes (who I found out through Koba is Caesar's son) and Ash, but they were warned to stay away from me by my roomy. They never came for a second visit.

I sighed. I felt so alone. What if I was the last human left? I'm sure those two factions killed themselves. We haven't had any new sign of human life since my arrival and I didn't come across any people on my journey. _Oh god what if I really am the last one?_

I pushed that thought away, not wanting to deal with the emotions it brings up. I looked at my watch. The twins should be home in two hours. What should I do until then?

I decided to take a nap, laying down on my new bed. I took a deep breath, letting out a loud exhale. I stared at the ceiling to my temporary home, thoughts whirling around my mind.

I thought of Zira. I missed her so much. She was so kind and loving. It hurt to know that the twins' will never know how amazing their biological mother was. I didn't look forward to explaining to them what happened to her and their father. Pretty soon they'll start asking questions.

My thoughts then turned to their father. _Milo._

He was about Koba's age. Now that I think about it, he was a lot like the bonobo. They both had scars caused by human abuse and experimentation. The big difference between the two was their species. Milo was a chimpanzee, making Hope and Hunter bonobo/chimpanzee hybrids(though they looked more like the latter). I didn't know the two could breed until Zira told me she was pregnant. It was a happy surprise.

Milo was a funny guy and Zira was a serious leader. But they were a happy couple.

I started to choke up at the memories of my deceased ape family. I quickly got ahold of myself, since Koba could walk in from his hunt at any moment. I didn't want him to see me cry. He already thought I was weak, no need to give him another reason to confirm his already low opinion of me.

A hoot from the outside startled me from my thoughts. I stood up, walking to the entrance. It was Koba.

I was surprised he didn't just barge in like he usually did. After all _,_ it is _his_ home.

He looked agitated, his fur was puffed out as he signed, " _Come. Follow. We are going to the city."_

I was surprised. Why they hell are we going _there? "_ Why?"

"Scavenge for human clothes," He paused to acknowledged Rocket who grunted to alert us of his presence before the bonobo would continue, " _Will also look for things that can be useful to apes."_

I didn't protest. I needed clothes, all I had was gym shorts on. My pants and sweater got destroyed by the cougar. So yes, I've been topless for the past two weeks. It's about time I go get a shirt. I suppressed a laugh. I always felt the need to be serious in Koba's presence.

Hopefully we wouldn't be gone for too long. I didn't exactly have a babysitter for my kids.

 _Maybe Cornelia will take care of them._ Speaking of Cornelia, Blue Eyes bore a greater resemblance to his mother than to his father. He had softer features whereas his father carried harder, tougher looking features.

 _I wonder if I'll ever get to meet the prince and his friend again._

* * *

Blue Eyes and Ash were excited that they'd be accompanying the group heading into the city. Blue Eyes got a little bit less excited

when he found out Nina would be coming along as well. For whatever reason, she made him incredibly nervous. Ash seemed to have noticed this as they were scavenging the abandoned cars on the Golden Gate Bridge.

" _What's your deal? Your coat is puffed out and you've become clumsy."_ The gray chimp smirked before saying, "I mean clumsier." He started panting in amusement.

The prince only glowered at him. He didn't really know how to answer that question, but after a moment he formed one. " _Because never been in human city before. Worried that we'll be attacked by any leftover humans."_

Ash thought it was a reasonable excuse for his friend's odd behavior so he gave an understanding nod. Rocket called Ash over and the young ape quickly bounded over to his father. Leaving Blue Eyes alone.

He was sat on a red Jeep's hood. The ape looked forward, to see Koba and Nina looking through the luggage of a minivan. Koba had his classic glare directed at the girl and Nina just concentrated on searching for viable clothing. Rocket and Ash were behind them, keeping a look out for both humans and young apes who decided to follow them.

Suddenly, he heard the human let out a scream. He looked and saw her crouching, hands up as Koba had his spear pointing down at her. Blue Eyes growled and before he knew it he was at the scene. Now that he was there he saw that Nina was protecting something from the aggressive bonobo.

Caesar's son saw the small, black-furred four-legged animal cowering behind Nina. His father had told him about those animals. They were nicknamed 'man's best friend.' _Dog._

"What you doing?" The prince grunted. Koba looked at him angrily before signing, " _It tried to attack me. Human wants to take it to village. I want to kill it."_

"He didn't want to attack you! He was just scared and you had him cornered!" Nina defended the animal the way a mother would defend her child. It confused Blue Eyes who frowned before signing, " _Leave him alone. We will bring him home."_

Koba snarled at the prince, angry that he would tell his elder what to do. Blue Eyes defiantly stared into his honorary Uncle's one good eye. _"My father's decision. Not Koba's."_

"Blue Eyes right." Rocket said as he walked into the scene with his son by his side. "Caesar decides." Ash added.

Koba finally relented, lowering his spear. " _I will keep watch now."_ He signed to the group, still angry about the dog.

As soon as he was out of hearing range, Nina began to coo to the scared animal.

"It's okay. Come here. Don't be scared." She told him gently, the puppy slowly walked to her keeping his body low to the ground, in a submissive position. When he was close enough she began to pet his head and scratching him behind his ear. The canine started wagging his tail and jumped onto Nina, licking her face.

Blue Eyes thought she was being attacked and attempted to pull the pup off her. Ash grabbed his wrist before he could do so, " _Dog not aggressive. Likes Nina."_

Rocket signed, " _Should head back now. Getting dark. Will come back tomorrow if Caesar permits it."_

With that the apes got onto their horses. Nina had to ride with Blue Eyes this time since Koba wasn't very pleased with her at the moment. The prince tried not to tense up as she wrapped her arms around him. He hoped she wouldn't notice.

There was one horse that carried an ape-made wagon that had the clothes Nina scavenged and the miscellaneous items the apes felt would be useful. It also had the puppy in it, as well as Ash. Rocket rode the cargo horse.

Koba led them back to the ape village. They were all silent as they headed back.

* * *

Koba led his horse to the stables. He patted her head as he waited for the others to leave. The bonobo wanted to be left alone.

Unfortunately for him, Nina wanted to speak to him.

"Sorry about what happened back there." She said, "I just- just couldn't leave the dog to die. I've had a dog before. They're good companions. Plus they can be useful to apes just like they were to humans." At that the ape turned to look at her, incredulously.

" _How can dog help ape?"_ He signed.

" _Can be trained to be a hunting dog. Can help track elk and other game. They can also be protectors. Guard dogs is what we called them."_ The human explained.

Koba scoffed, "Apes do not need dogs to hunt. Apes can do it ourselves. Apes strong. Humans weak." He jabbed a finger into Nina's shoulder. She suppressed a whimper of pain.

Suddenly, he heard a growl. He looked behind her, and saw the puppy looking at him angrily. Judging by his tail being between his legs, he was scared but he wasn't about to let the girl who saved him get hurt. Koba let out panting-laughter and snarled at the puppy. He did not budge.

"Leave him alone, Koba. He's not your enemy and neither am I." She frustratingly shoved him back a bit. Koba gave her a death glare. How dare she talk back to him? How _dare_ she _touch_ him? _Stupid human._

He towered over her but she didn't cower back like he wanted her to. Instead she stood up taller herself. She was barely taller than the ape.

"Why you still here?" Koba growled.

"Because I wanted to talk to you. You haven't spoken a word to me these past two weeks nor signed much. We live in the same home and I haven't gotten to know you at all. Caesar told me you weren't a bad ape but you always give me a look of hate. You judged me just because of my species. That _really_ bugs me. So answer me this, will you ever stop hating me for WHAT I am when you find out WHO I am?" Nina breathed heavily after telling the scarred ape all of this.

Koba only stared at her, dumfounded. After a moment, he signed, " _I do not know."_

He then knuckle-ran out of the stables, heading to his home… that he shared with Nina.

He did want to get to know her but he just couldn't bring himself to get close to something that's cause him so much pain and suffering in the past. For every one kind human there were many more cruel ones. Then it occurred to him.

She was more than likely the last human on the planet. From what he's observed, the female is the rare kind human. So maybe he shouldn't hate her so much? He kind of pitied her. She had no family, no friends. All she had was Hope and Hunter (and a dog if Caesar allowed it to stay.)

He sighed. Koba still had a month and a half left until she was out of his home so might as well get to know her. Just for his own amusement of course.

 _ **Sorry, I meant to get this out sooner but I had personal issues to deal with first.**_

 _ **Lemme know what you think so far!**_

 _ **Ps. Getting this chapter up was quite difficult since it wouldn't upload it as an MS word doc for some reason so I had to google a site to convert it into an ODT file. Technology is fun, ain't it?**_


	7. Chapter 7: Forbidden Friendship

_**Enjoy!**_

Caesar sat on his bed, patiently waiting for Rocket to give him a report on what they found in the city, well the bridge leading to it. The King didn't want them to actually enter the city as he didn't know if anything still lived in it. Any humans that is.

Rocket entered Caesar's home with Nina at his side. Caesar immediately noticed the dog in Nina's arms. He barely heard Rocket's report as he was caught in a flashback of the German Shepherd barking at him in the woods ten years ago, the day he found out what he was, when Will was still alive. _When apes were still suffering._

After Rocket finished, Caesar politely dismissed him. He then turned his attention to the human.

"Dog." He said while pointing at the animal. He noticed the girl held it protectively.

"Yeah a baby dog. A puppy." Nina looked down, averting her gaze from the leader before she continued, "So… uh can I keep him?"

She finally looked up at him, giving him- what did Will call it? _Puppy dog eyes._ Yes that's what she was giving him.

After a moment he nodded his head then warned, " _If it causes any trouble or hurts an ape, I will have no choice but to get rid of him."_

Nina promised him that wouldn't happen since she'll train the puppy well. She thanked him before she exited his home.

Caesar was then left to reflect on the recent events. He adopted a human into the Ape Colony, something that has angered many of his people.

Many of the apes who opposed his decision came to speak with him, trying to convince him to reconsider. Caesar stubbornly told them that his mind was made. Some females even offered to adopt Hope and Hunter as they found them having a human as a mother shameful and just plain _wrong._ The King quickly rejected their offers, telling them that the babies already had a mother and didn't care what species she was. They loved her regardless.

Caesar was taken out of his thoughts as he heard someone enter his room. He turned around to see his son standing at the entrance.

" _Hello, son."_ He greeted.

Blue Eyes only gave an acknowledging nod of his head. For the past two weeks, Caesar had woken up several nights to find out that his son was not home. He figured now was the time to ask him what Blue Eyes had been up to.

" _Blue Eyes, where have you been going during the night?"_

His son's eyes widened but he knew better than to lie to his father. Caesar had a good bullshit detector, at least when it came to his son.

" _Cannot sleep some nights. Too many thoughts keep me awake. I go to clear my mind."_ The teenager explained, tiredly. Caesar could now see the lack of sleep on his son's face.

"What troubles you, son?" The concerned father asked.

At that question, a troubled and confused look formed on the young ape's face. " _The human."_ Caesar then asked what about her was troubling him.

" _I do not know if she is good or not. Koba says all humans bad but when I look at her…"_ He looked into the distance, past Caesar, at the stars on the horizon, "... _see only good. Do not know to trust her. Am scared but don't feel in danger. I do not understand."_

The Ape King took a moment to formulate a response. He was surprised that his son actually told him what was bugging him. He hadn't opened up to Caesar in a long time.

"Nina has known apes more than humans. Raising ape young. See her as an ape, my son." He put a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder before signing with the other, " _Befriend her. You will then see that you do not need to fear her."_

Blue Eyes grunted in response. He then surprised his father again by bringing their foreheads together. Though brief, it still brought a smile on Caesar's face.

He watched as his son left their home, heading to Ash's dwelling for the night.

Caesar looked upon his kingdom, remembering the days when his two-year old son would follow him around. When he was close to his father, before he started to distance himself, soon idolizing Koba. It worried him greatly that Koba's stories about the humans would cloud his son's judgement. Blue Eyes could not allow hate and fear to control him.

He sighed, wondering if his next child would follow Blue Eyes' footsteps.

A hand gently rested on his back as a feminine voice whispered in his ear, "Ready now? It is time."

Caesar smiled, excited at the prospect of making a new child. "Ready when you are, my love." He told her affectionately.

Cornelia grabbed his hand, leading him to their bed.

* * *

Koba stood outside his home, looking up at the stars as he recalled what Nina had told him in the stables earlier. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he did admire the young human's courage not only to speak out to him, but to simply speak her mind. That took guts. It also took courage to be face to face with a mountain lion. _Didn't kill it though. Koba did._

Regardless, she had guts. Koba could respect that, but could he respect _her? Not sure._ He wasn't really sure about anything regarding that peculiar human these days. His views on her species were slowly changing, of course he wouldn't hesitate to kill any other human who crossed his path (unless Caesar was there to stop him.) Nina was different. _Maybe she is an ape trapped in a human body._

That made a little bit of sense. Now he was less apprehensive about getting to know her. Maybe she won't hurt him like the other humans did. After all, she didn't have him in a cage, she couldn't hurt him with the stings that made him fall asleep. _Doesn't have the sleeping guns._ _Koba free, will always be free. Because of Caesar._

She could not hurt him.

"Koba?" The bonobo jumped at the question, lowering his gaze to the human standing in front of his home. She was carrying the puppy.

He already knew what she wanted to know. " _Young are inside. Asleep. You should sleep too."_

She nodded her head, entering the hut. Koba soon followed. He needed to sleep too.

Hope and Hunter apparently weren't asleep because they were eagerly greeting their adoptive mother. Koba watched as she set the puppy on the bed in between the twins. The ape's fur stood on end as he watched the babies and canine look at each other curiously. He was ready to kill the animal if it dared to hurt the young apes. But it did no such thing. It started to lick Hunter's face causing the baby to squeal in happiness. Hope began to groom the puppy's black fur. Nina watched the exchange, a smile on her face.

"Dog." She said while signing the word to them as well. They repeated the sign to her. "His name is Charlie." She signed that to them as well.

Koba grunted to get there attention. _"Why name it?"_

"Because he is family now." She looked agitated that he would ask such a question.

Koba scowled. Making a dumb animal family? _Humans are weird._ He walked to his bed, sitting down to look at the twins' happily interact with their new 'family member.'

After about ten more minutes of play, the three youngsters soon fell asleep. The twins' slept close to the puppy, obviously quite fond of the furry mammal. Nina sat down next to her small, odd family, looking at them with loving eyes. Koba watched, wishing he had a family to look at like that.

"My real name is Marina." Nina suddenly said loud enough for Koba to hear, but quiet enough to not wake up the kids. "Nina is what Zira, the leader of my old troop, named me. She said that if I were to live with apes I had to be named by them. I didn't mind since I didn't really like my original name, it reminded me of the parents I barely remember."

"What happened to your parents?" Koba asked, trying to keep his voice from waking up the children as well. He honestly didn't know what compelled him to ask that, he only knew that he wanted to know. _Why want to know about a human?_

She looked at him, tears in her eyes before replying with, "They were murdered. The killer was never caught." She wiped her nose before continuing, "I had an uncle that took me and my dog in. My uncle didn't like dogs and he would hurt my little Bentley. His wife would try to stop him but he wouldn't listen. Any little thing Bentley did would make him so angry. I never understood why."

Koba watched as she wiped away her tears, then wiping her nose with her arm before she could continue. "One day, Bentley decided to fight back. My uncle grabbed him around the neck and threw him across the room… into a wall. I'll never forget the sound his body made as it hit the cold, hard wall. I'll never forget the blood stains on the once pure white wall. My Bentley didn't get up. I was only 6 when I watched him die. I could've done something sooner. If I'd just called the cops or told a teacher maybe my dog would still be alive. It was my fault. My inaction caused his death. Aunt Clara told me soon after that my uncle hated animals. I was mad at her because she didn't tell anyone and told me not to do so either, or else I'd be punished. I hated them both. I hated the person that killed my parents. I hated myself. I hate the people that killed my troop . I hate my _kind."_ She looked up at him, making eye contact. Koba saw the hate, the grief, the thirst for vengeance in her eyes. He knew she saw the same in his. "Please, don't tell anyone this. I only told you because I feel like you'd understand."

Koba looked dumbfounded. Did she trust him with such information? _Why?_ But she was right. He did understand why she had so much hate and pain. Her life was tragic, though not as tragic as his but still. He understood what it was like to be subjected to pain, both physical and mental. He understood the scars that could be left on the body and mind as a result of such horrors. Although their stories were different, he felt a spark inside him telling him she was like him. It _scared_ him. Yet he couldn't stop himself from going up to the crying human, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. She seemed shocked at first, but soon rested her hand on his.

"Koba is sorry." He told her sincerely. The words felt foreign on his tongue. He was consoling a human. Someone he should hate yet all he could feel for her is sympathy, as well as empathy.

She let out a shaky 'thank you.' The bonobo grunted before heading back to his bed, lying down. He now had new thoughts forming in his mind, new feelings as well. _Maybe she isn't so bad after all._

If Nina needed to be saved from life threatening danger again, he wouldn't hesitate to aid her like the first time.

 _Marina._

He found himself liking his roommate's former name.

* * *

I felt tired after telling Koba that. Yet I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. The pain was still there, though it was dulling. The anger and hate, however, was there as well. I never acted out such emotions. They only led to destruction for not only others, but myself as well. I may have lost two families, but now I had one of my own.

I'll always miss my mother and father. I'll always miss my ape mother and ape father too.

I sighed contently. I was excited for tomorrow. Sparrow said it was fine for me to do stuff other than laze around at home now. I hoped Koba would teach me something new and maybe Blue Eyes and Ash would come with us.

I liked those two. They were kind, especially Ash. Blue Eyes was a bit weird but I attributed that to his lack of interaction with humans. He was cute though. Ya know, for an ape.

 _Maybe even cuter than any human boy my age._ I laughed quietly, not wanting to wake up Koba or the kids.

I looked at the scarred ape, wondering why he didn't have a family. From what I've observed, he was a respected warrior. I would expect him to have a mate and kids by now. _Well I guess I could help him find a mate._

He did save my life so it's the least I could.

 _ **And the plot thickens…**_

 _ **I got a bit teary as I wrote about what happened to poor Bentley but as Weasel says "It'll further the plot."**_

 _ **I don't know if I quoted that right or if you guys will get that reference soo yeah…**_

 _ **Anyways it was a necessary tragedy so don't hate me for it. xc**_

 _ **Hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know in a review!**_

 _ **Have a nice day/night! :)**_


	8. Chapter 8: Peacocks

_**I meant to get this out Sunday but for whatever reason, google drive did not save it. So I had to rewrite it after finals was over. Sorry about that.**_

 _ **Side note for my 'Rexy's Niece' readers: The same thing happened to that document. It didn't save. *tear* So I'll have to rewrite that one too. Expect it to be posted next week. I apologize for the delay.**_

 _ **Oh yeah, one of you said that I took down a previous chapter. I didn't do that nor will I ever without informing you guys first.**_

 _ **Anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter of Iridescent.**_

Blue Eyes awoke early the next morning to a loudly snoring Ash, sleeping in a hammock across from the prince. He gave his sleeping friend a dirty look as he exited Ash's room. He stood outside, looking at the rising sun. The blue eyed teen didn't know what to do. Sleep wasn't an option and Ash was still asleep. So what could he do until his lazy honorary-cousin woke up?

Then he remembered the book he took from an abandoned car back at the bridge. Blue Eyes decided to go to the stables to get it.

He quickly found the wagon with the stuff from the city, rummaging through the many items within it. It didn't take long for the ape to find the small black book with a picture of an old man on the cover.

"The Giver." He read the title out loud. Blue Eyes didn't really know why he took the book in the first place. Maybe it was because of the sad, tired look the human on the cover had on his face. It drew his curiosity. The Ape Prince got an idea. _Maybe I should give it to Nina._

It would be a good idea. It'd give him a reason to go see her and maybe she could read it to him. Granted, he knew how to read but… well he needed a reason to see her. He didn't just want to randomly go up to her without something. Blue Eyes felt as though he needed to present to her a gift.

He groaned. Why did he want to see her, let alone give her something? _So much for avoiding her._ He thought to himself as he exasperatedly ran a hand down his face. After what his father told him last night, he felt a new rush of determination, as well as a bit of excitement. He was determined to face his fear and make these feelings she caused him go away. Would they go away? He found himself kind of wanting them to stay. _What is wrong with me?_

Unfortunately for the young ape, he didn't know.

He thought about telling Ash this but he just didn't want his friend to think the wrong thing, let alone tell Caesar about it.

He wasn't sure what he was feeling, but part of him told him it was wrong to feel this way about a _human_. The other part said to ignore the wrong feeling because what he was feeling for her was actually _right._ The poor chimpanzee was so confused, yet he found himself running to where Nina lived. He was just drawn to her, like the way moths were drawn to light. He didn't know how else to explain it.

As he finally got to Koba's home, he saw Nina sitting to the left of the entrance. She seemed happy and energetic. She soon noticed him, giving him a friendly smile that nearly made the prince melt. What was she doing to him?

She patted the spot next to her, inviting him to sit. He quickly sat down. He was so close to her, he could hear her breathing, or maybe that was just the wind?

"Good morning. What brings you here?" Nina asked in a kind tone. Blue Eyes only response was to give her the book. She gently took it into her hands, reading the title, then the summary on the back out loud. Her voice made his stomach do back flips.

"You brought this for me?" She asked him in disbelief. Blue Eyes nodded before signing to her, " _Thought you would like it."_ He paused before shyly adding, " _Maybe you can read it to me?"_ The chimp looked into her eyes for the first time. They were the color of honey. Blue Eyes almost got lost in them.

"Thank you, Blue Eyes. Not just for the book, but for also taking my side back at the bridge." Nina looked like she was about to give him a hug but opted against it. The Prince frowned as she got up. He stood up as well.

Suddenly, a bark followed by happy squeals could be heard coming from inside the hut. Nina chuckled lightly, " _I should head back inside. Come back late afternoon if you want me to read the book to you, okay?"_

"Okay." He replied. Caesar's son watched the girl go into her home. He was unsure of what to do with himself as he awkwardly stood outside the hut. The ape knew that Ash was more than likely still asleep. He decided to just go home. Maybe he could get a quick nap in before he needed to go fishing with Ash. He'd probably take a bath at the river as well. Blue Eyes didn't want to be dirty when he went back to Nina's later.

It occurred to him that he'd have to tell Ash where he would be going during the afternoon. _Crap._ He was not looking forward to that conversation.

* * *

As I entered my home, I nearly tripped as Charlie and Hunter darted in front of me. The latter was chasing the dog around the hut. I looked at Koba's side to see the bonobo grooming Hope who sat on his lap. She quite liked the scarred ape, it was cute.

I put the book on my nightstand which was just a small piece of a log that stood up vertically. I mostly just used it to eat on.

"Who gave you the book?" Koba asked, causing me to jump slightly. I turned around to sign, " _Blue Eyes."_

Koba frowned at my response. _"Why?"_

I shrugged. "He said he wants me to read it to him."

Koba only let out a series of amused hoots which Hope mimicked. Hunter and Charlie's game ended as they both jumped onto my bed, Hunter climbed onto me, perching himself on my shoulder so he could groom my hair. The puppy decided to take a nap. _I should get him a water bowl and some food._

As I got up to go do just that, I remembered that I needed to ask Koba something. I hoped it wouldn't offend him. "Hey, Koba?" I turned around to face him. He grunted in response so I continued, "May I ask you something?" He nodded.

" _Why don't you have a mate?"_ I asked. The silence that followed was nerve racking. I couldn't tell if I offended him or not because he had a blank expression on his face. He was looking at the ground. After a couple of minutes, he finally responded, " _Think it is because I look like this"_ He gestured to the scar on his blind eye, _"I look scary to females. That's why I don't have a mate."_

I frowned. He didn't look that bad. I mean scars mean he's a survivor. "Have you even tried to court a female?" I asked. Koba looked down at the ground seeming ashamed. "No. Don't know how to talk to most apes. Koba didn't have many apes around when was growing up."

I huffed before rubbing my chin. Being matchmaker to this guy might be hard. "Maybe I can help you find one?" I inquired.

At that, the ape looked up at me with a look of disbelief. _"Why help me?"_

" _Because you helped me. Saved my life. It is the least I can do to repay you."_ I signed to him. He only stared at me for what felt like an eternity. Though I think he wasn't _really_ staring at me. His eyes had a glazed look to them, as if he was recalling a distant memory.

He finally responded to my offer. "Okay." He got up, carrying Hope to put her in my arms. He scratched his head, then left. I wondered if he actually accepted my offer or if he was just too shocked to say anything other than 'Okay.'

I sighed. _Hopefully this would be easy._ After all, I've never done this before. Hell, I've never even had a boyfriend before so how would I know how to set someone up?

 _Maybe I need a matchmaker too._ I jokingly thought.

* * *

Koba sat in between Grey and Stone during breakfast. As usual, the three ate in silence until Stone asked, " _How's your pet human?"_ Grey laughed at the question.

" _Not pet."_ Koba signed. " _Not enemy either."_ The two chimps gasped in shock.

" _Are you okay?"_ Grey asked, obviously worried about his friend's mental health. Koba glared at the brown chimpanzee. " _Yes._ "

The conversation died at that. Koba wasn't in the mood to talk and his friends could sense it. So they continued eating breakfast in silence.

Koba left after he finished eating. He was still pondering Nina's offer to help him find a mate. _Me? Getting help from a human?_ Well, he wasn't exactly making much progress on his own. Practically ten years later and he still did not have a mate, let alone children for that matter. He figured it was best to accept Nina's help. Not like he was getting any younger.

He walked to his home, confused at the fact that he was hoping she was there. Koba knew he hasn't been a very good teacher lately. He didn't want to teach her new skills today, so he decided to teacher her the apes' history instead. Though, he didn't really want to talk to her but he had to. She was his responsibility.

As he entered his dwelling, he found Nina sitting on her bed with Charlie on her lap. She wasn't aware of his presence until a branch from his bed snapped, causing her to turn her gaze to Koba. She greeted him, Koba didn't return the greeting. Nina didn't seem fazed by it since she just continued to pet a sleeping Charlie.

Koba watched the way Nina petted the puppy. She was so gentle with him, just like she was with the twins'. She even gave Charlie the same loving look. It occurred to him that she wanted to keep the dog so badly was because of what her uncle did to her previous dog. _Bentley_. She couldn't let another one die. It angered Koba that a human would be so cruel to an innocent animal, let alone to his own niece's beloved pet. _You were about to do the same thing._ A voice in his head whispered. He realized it was right. The ape wanted to kill a dog for defending itself. Just like the human's uncle. _Maybe humans aren't so different from apes._

He scoffed, scolding himself for that absurd thought. Humans were evil and cruel, apes were NOTHINGlike that.

Still, he knew that view was flawed but he could not change it… completely, at least.

After a couple of minutes, he decided to start a conversation with her. He was bored after all.

Unfortunately, he didn't really know what to talk about. _Myself?_ Not a bad idea.

"Nina?" It was the first time Koba used her name. It was just as shocking to her as it was to the bonobo. Now that she was looking at him, he began to sign. " _Mother was murdered too. A human beat her to death with a sack of oranges. It would've been me if she had not protected me from Roger, the man that killed her."_ He sucked in a breath, trying to keep himself from unleashing his anger, " _I never knew my father."_

He never told this to anyone else, not even Caesar. He instantly regretted telling Nina, he felt vulnerable and he didn't like it one bit.

" _I am sorry. If it is any comfort, I promise you that Roger has been punished by the plague for your mother's murder."_ She signed, empathy evident on her face as well as anger. Koba gave her a nod of thanks, then prompted her to sit on a chair that was in his side of the dwelling.

Nina stood at the line, reluctant to cross it. Koba assured her that it was okay since he was giving her permission to cross. So she did.

"Why do you want me to sit here?" The teenager nervously asked.

" _Want to talk."_ Koba simply stated.

"Oh. Okay. About what?"

Koba wasn't sure _what_ else to talk to her about. He just told her to ask him a question to start.

"How did that happen to your eye?" Nina fidgeted after finishing her question. Koba didn't know if he wanted to tell her about that but he found himself answering anyways.

" _After mother died. I was sent to a home where I was taught tricks for the little screens. The human who trained me was a man named Tommy. He made me look like this,"_ He pointed to his scarred face and milky eye, " _Slashed my face with a knife, then put a hot… cigarette into my eye. Tommy is dead. I am happy he is."_

" _Me too."_

They fell into a long silence as Koba tried to figure out what to ask her. He was curious if she remembered anything about her parents so he decided to ask her if she did.

"I… remember but not as much as I wish." Koba asked her to tell him what she did remembered. "I remember my mother had blue eyes and was from a place called Ireland, a country. She was kind, sweet, and patient. My dad was from a place far south from here. I think it's called Mexico. He had green eyes, like yours."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "I remember my dad saying I got this eye color because of all the honey my mom ate while pregnant with me." Nina laughed. "Mom used to tell me stories, my dad would sing to me in both English and Spanish." Koba tilted his head. Humans spoke different languages? How many were there?

"I don't know if I even remember spanish since I haven't spoken it nor have been spoken to in that language for years."

She started to cry. Now unable to speak she signed, " _I worry that the older I get, the more about them I'll forget. I'm already starting to lose the memory of how they looked. It scares me because I don't want to forget them."_

Nina got up, walking to her backpack. She began to unzip it, looking for something until she eventually pulled out a rectangular shaped object. Koba knew those things. A lot of the humans in the labs had them. The one in Nina's hands had a bitten apple on the back of it. She held the device close to her chest, as if it would break if she didn't.

"This… was my mother's iPad. Humans used these for work, education, communication, and especially entertainment. I kept this after she died because there are many pictures of my family saved in them. I have my father's phone and my own tablet as well."

She sadly sighed. "They ran out of battery a long time ago. I hope that one day the power will turn back on and I'll be able to see my parents' faces again. My Bentley too."

Koba walked up to her intending to provide comfort in his own way, but Nina had different plans. She suddenly hugged him, crying. He could feel her tears on his fur. The bonobo didn't like to be touched, especially by humans but he couldn't bring himself to pry her off. Instead, he returned the hug. Lucky for him, the hug was brief.

After she pulled away she apologized for hugging him. He didn't think she needed _to_ apologize. " _It is okay."_ He paused, figuring she needed comfort about her parents as well, " _Do not worry about forgetting your mother and your father. You will always remember them simply because you miss them so much."_

Koba strangely didn't feel wrong comforting the young human. He felt warm and happy doing it. It made him feel light as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

They sat down on her bed for the next hour, just talking. They talked about many things, mostly the good memories they had. He told her about Milo and even Mary. She told him about her deaf best friend (and only friend), Nova. He felt happy sharing the little good memories he had with Nina. It felt nice having someone to talk to like this. It felt like catching up with an old friend. _Friend?_ Was that what they were now? Friends?

He guessed they were. He shockingly didn't mind it. Nina has proven to him that she is good and even she hates humans almost as much as he does. Yes, she was now his friend. His _only_ human friend.

Suddenly, a questioning hoot from outside stopped their conversation. Koba looked at her to see if she knew who it was.

" _It must be Blue Eyes. I told him to come in the afternoon so I can read the book to him."_ She informed him. Koba gave an understanding nod before exiting his home. He greeted Blue Eyes before running into the forest.

As he swung from branch to branch, jumped from tree to tree, he felt so calm and happy. It was if a warm light had been cast down upon him, making everything else in the world look so colorful and beautiful.

Was this the feeling Caesar wanted him to learn from Nina? _Peace._ For the first time in his life, he was now feeling peace. It was thanks to Caesar. Koba knew he could never repay his king for not only freeing him from his human captors, but also freeing him from his own hatred for them.

He sat on the tallest branch he could find, looking at the human city in the distance. Many awful things have happened to him in that city, yet he found himself looking at it without contempt. He was just admiring it for its ingenuity. _Must've took years to build that city._ He had to admit, humans built beautiful things.

He started to feel uneasy as a voice whispered to him that peace would not last long. _I must enjoy it while I can._

 _ **Yes, you must, Koba.**_

 _ **Again sorry for taking a while to post this.**_

 _ **Lemme know what you think!**_


	9. Chapter 9: United We Stand

_**Enjoy!**_

 **Summer, Mid-June 2025**

I stood outside my finished home with Koba by my side. I couldn't believe that I've been here for only two months. I honestly feel as though I've lived here my whole life. _I wish I did._

Koba grunted to get my attention. " _You sure you want to move out? Can still live in my home if you want."_

I smiled. Only two months ago he hated my very existence and was disgusted that he'd have to share his home with me. Now he wanted me to stay with him. " _No, thanks. You and Ari are going to need room for your future family. My own family needs space as well. We can always visit each other."_

The bonobo seemed saddened that I'd be moving out. During the time since we had that deep talk, we've become good friends, maybe even best friends. I succeeded in my goal of getting him with a female. _Ari._

Ari was a healer-in-training who helped Sparrow care for me as I recovered from my mountain lion induced wounds. The female bonobo would always give Koba 'a look' when he would come to check on my condition. Koba was oblivious to the female checking him out but luckily I wasn't. Otherwise, they wouldn't be moving in together.

Setting the two up wasn't very hard.

"Thank you." Koba said, startling me out of my thoughts.

"For what?"

He gave me a smile that made him look so content. " _For bringing Ari into my life. Now I have a mate and will hopefully soon have children."_

I patted his shoulder. "No need to thank me. You deserve it." I smiled. He pulled me into a hug, something that was incredibly rare for the scarred ape to do. As I rested my head on his shoulder, I was able to see the twins' running over here with Charlie.

I pulled away, laughing lightly. " _Looks like the kids are excited about their new home."_

Koba turned around just as Hope and Hunter jumped on him. He fell on his back as they pant-hooted and Hunter signed, " _Caught Koba first. Hunter wins."_

Hope tackled her brother off the bonobo. Koba got back on his feet, smiling at the young apes play fighting in the dirt.

"Learning sign well." The adult ape spoke.

"Yeah, they are." I responded. It was true, they were learning sign fast along with many other things. Maurice was a good teacher.

I sighed happily before signing, " _What will you teach me today?"_

Koba smirked. " _More tree climbing lessons."_

I groaned. "Whyyyyyy?"

He shook his head. " _Must practice. If you cannot climb, you cannot join the hunting parties."_

The ape was right. "Fine. When and where do we meet?"

" _In the afternoon. Meet at my home. Ari will watch over your young."_ He then headed back home. I turned my attention to the still wrestling twins. Charlie was already inside.

"C'mon you two. It's time to go into our new home." I instructed. Luckily, I didn't have to repeat myself since they eagerly ran into the dwelling. It was actually larger than Koba's but made out of some human materials retrieved from the city. I guess they wanted to insulate it better since I'm a human and ya know, don't have fur to combat the cold. Fortunately, it was early summer so I don't have to worry about the cold for a while.

Koba had helped me bring my bed and belongings over here. My bed was in a corner, Hope and Hunter's new beds were at the opposite side. Charlie had apparently claimed the former's bed. _She loves that dog so I doubt she'll mind sharing._

Hope quickly lied next to Charlie, grooming his fur. Hunter seemed sad. The young male looked up at me, " _Why not live with Koba no more?"_

My heart swelled with pride. Hunter was especially good at signing whereas Hope excelled at speaking. I was equally proud of her as I was of Hunter.

I wasn't really sure how to answer my son's question. "Because Koba has a family now. He needs space and privacy with Ari."

"We not...Koba family?" Hope asked, sounding hurt. I sighed. They asked some pretty hard questions.

"Yes we are. We just live here now. We can still visit him and he can still visit us, okay?" I said as I wiped away one of Hope's tears. They both gave understanding nods.

The two decided to take a nap with Charlie. I opted to sit on my bed to read over the last two chapters of _The Giver._ I prefered to do that so it would be easier for me to read out loud, otherwise I'd stutter a lot. Blue Eyes was quite the attentive audience, though he did fall asleep on my shoulder during the beginning of the story. However, I never woke him up. I know this might sound a bit creepy, but I liked watching him sleep. He just looked cute sleeping. Plus I could tell he didn't sleep well and I was right. He told me about it after the second time he knocked out on me.

Blue Eyes was having trouble sleeping. I was glad he was sleeping well now. Though I did miss watching him sleep. _God that makes me sound like such a creep._

Anyways, the prince really liked the book. He would ask me all these questions about humans. I would try to answer as best I could. He even told me he wants to name his future son after the story's main character; Jonas. We would've finished the book sooner if the _incident_ didn't happen.

About a week and a half of reading the book, we just stared into each other's eyes for what felt like years. Then he brought our foreheads together. I guess he realized what he was doing and felt wrong about it because he just ran out. It took him two weeks to come back to continue reading the book.

I knew that gesture was something apes did to those they loved or were good friends with. Koba did that with Ari and he's done it to me too. I didn't understand why it caused Blue Eyes to run away afterwards and _why_ he later apologized for it.

I sighed. _Boys are weird._ I mentioned it to Koba but he only gave me a frown, as if he thought I was dumb for not seeing the obvious.

I put the book back on my nightstand. Now laying down, I looked up at the ceiling. Koba and Ari would be having a marriage ceremony soon where they would paint their family symbol onto each others' foreheads before bringing them together. The two were currently figuring out what they wanted their symbol to be.

My eyelids began to get heavy as time went on. I tried to fight sleep but gave in, figuring it'd be a good way to kill the time before I had to go tree climbing with Koba.

* * *

Koba was about a couple of meters above Nina. He was waiting for her to catch up to him, plus he needed to be close enough to her in case she slipped or something. The bonobo could see the sweat on the human's face as she continued to climb up, getting closer to the branch the ape stood on.

"Ya know, uumf- this isn't _that_ hard." She said with a strained voice as she pulled herself up. Koba looked down at her, letting out amused pant hoots as he signed, " _Better hurry. We almost at the top."_

"Hey, I'm going as fast as I c-" _Crack._ Nina yelped as the branch she grabbed snapped. Koba immediately took ahold of her wrist with his foot. He saw that she had her eyes closed as she thought she was going to fall.

She slowly opened one eye, then the other. The girl looked up at Koba to thank him for saving her yet again. The bonobo rolled his eyes as he scolded. "Always seek strongest branch."

She smiled sheepishly.

After a few more minutes, the two made it to the top. Nina was awed by the view of not only the forest, but also by San Francisco in the distance. Koba was glad he brought her here. It was a good place to talk and simply relax.

"It's beautiful." She said as she leaned her back on the trunk of the tree. Koba was just perched a few inches away from her. They were on the same branch but Koba new it was a strong one. It could support their combined weight.

"Yes. It is." Koba responded. The two sat there in comfortable silence for several minutes, just admiring the view and listening to the singing birds.

"Need to tell you something." Koba finally said. Nina turned her attention to her mentor. " _Ari and I have already decided on our family symbol. Every ape has a family, has a symbol. Except you and the twins. I brought you here to ask you if… you want to take our symbol."_

Nina gasped. "You mean you want _me_ to be officially a member of your family?"

Koba nodded. "Yes or no?"

"Yes! Of course!" She squealed, proceeding to hug her friend-soon-to-be-family. Koba happily returned the hug. It was strange how time seemed to change things. Only two months ago, he wanted Nina dead. Now he was having her join his family. _A family she helped me get._

Time had a way of healing wounds but it was the helpful people during that time that truly healed those wounds. His mental scars were slowly starting to fade and the hatred he had towards her kind was lessening. He didn't get sick to his stomach whenever he laid eyes on her now. Instead he felt pride. He was proud of her. She was a strong female and deserved to have a family. Koba believed- no, he KNEW she was good. Someone that is good deserves good things to happen to them. _Why didn't good things happen to me when I was young? Koba is good._

He felt the bitterness and resentment begin to seep into his mind and heart. The bonobo quickly fought it, reminding himself that he has a mate now, a _family_. Good has happened to him and will continue to for the rest of his life. He didn't have to worry about humans because they were practically gone. Nina was the only one left and luckily for him, she was kind and treated apes as equals. There was no need for those negative emotions anymore. Like Caesar said, _'Hate leads to destruction.'_

Caesar was a wise leader and Koba was happy to follow him.

"We should get back." Nina said after gently nudging his arm. The climb back down was quicker than the climb up since the teenager was eager to get back onto the earth.

Koba got onto his horse, offering a hand to help Nina get on Mary.

"You were right, Koba." Nina said as they rode back to the village, "Climbing without shoes is easier though I did cut my foot." She pointed out the minor wound to the bonobo who grunted before telling her, "Go see Sparrow to fix."

They rode back to the village in no time. When they entered, they were greeted by many young apes who were asking questions about what they've seen out there. Koba gave Mary to one of the Gorilla Guardians, instructing him to be gentle with the horse while taking her to the stables.

Suddenly, Caesar called out for the apes to gather near his rock with his symbol on it.

Koba stood in between Ari and Nina as they looked up to their great leader, awaiting his announcement. Hunter and Hope were with Maurice at the teaching center, paying attention to Caesar as well.

Caesar signed what spoke, "I have called you here today to give good news. Cornelia is pregnant," The apes cheered, letting out happy hoots. Caesar allowed them to cheer for a couple of minutes until he decided it was time to continue, "You are not only here to celebrate my growing family, but also to celebrate the union of two apes." He called Koba and Ari up to the boulder. Koba nervously stood next to Caesar, Ari was shyly hiding behind the scarred bonobo.

Caesar signed to Koba, " _It is up to you two now. I am happy for you, brother."_ The two males hugged, Caesar then leaving the boulder. Koba told Nina to come up with them, he then instructed Maurice to bring the twins over.

Ari had already begun drawing the symbol on Nina's forehead. It was of the bitten apple symbol from Nina's iPad. In the middle of the apple were three figures, one was an ape, the other was a human and the final one was a dog. The three formed a triangle showing that they were united, that they were family.

After they finished drawing the symbol on each other, Koba and Ari brought their foreheads together. The audience cheered the new couple on, then went silent as the two approached Nina who was holding the twins. Koba was the first to make the gesture, then Ari joined in. The three stood there in silence as the crowd began a rhythmic chant of hoots, accompanied by the occasional gorilla roar.

Hope and Hunter copied the gesture with each other, causing their elders to laugh. Koba looked at them, smiling. They were his family now. He _had_ a family now. It was the best feeling in the world to be part of something so intimate and warm. He held Ari's had in one hand, Nina's in the other.

Cornelia came down to them with a bowl of red tribal paint. She began to paint Caesar's symbol on the five of them. She then signed to the crowd, " _All apes will always be part of my family."_ Caesar soon stood next to her to shout out, "APES. TOGETHER. STRONG!" That caused the gathered apes to let out a chorus of hoots and other ape sounds.

Koba looked down at the apes. He was able to see Stone and Grey frowning at him. They weren't cheering for him. It angered the bonobo that his two friends weren't celebrating his new family. He knew they weren't happy about the bond he's formed with Nina but that didn't mean they had the right to be disrespectful at his marriage ceremony _and_ family one.

Hope climbed onto the bonobo, bringing him out of his angry thoughts. He held her close as he felt his eye began to tear up. _I have a family. A mate._

Ari rested her head on her mate's shoulder, "Time to go home _."_

And so they did. It was late so the husband and wife led Nina and the twins to the the human's home, telling them goodnight before heading to their own home.

Life was complete now but for how long?

 _ **Don't worry, there'll be more Blue Eyes next chapter.**_

 _ **As usual R &R and have a nice day/night.**_


	10. Chapter 10: Find Your Love

_**Warning: Sorta spoiler for**_ _ **The Giver**_ _ **and also it gets a bit dark in the beginning of this chapter.**_

 _ **Let me know if I should up the rating of this fic and/or if I should even put warnings for chapters. (Don't really like doing it because it ruins the suprise factor but I don't want to trigger anyone!)**_

 _ **Anyways, enjoy!**_

 _I was playing in a forest with a bucket which I used to collect various earthly materials, mostly soil. I was running to a cabin… my Uncle Zaius' cabin. It looked like it but when I peeked into the window to see the inside… well it was nothing like his cabin._

 _As I opened the door, I was greeted by my father who lifted me onto his shoulders. I squealed, happily. I knew this was a dream but I didn't care. It was great knowing that my parents would always live on in my dreams. They would always be in my heart as well as my subconscious._

 _A hoot caught my attention, I looked to the couch and saw Zira sitting next to my mother. The latter was fashioning a bracelet for the female ape. "Zira!" I gleefully called out causing my father to set me down. I ran to the two, sitting in between them._

 _Zira asked what I collected from the forest and I grabbed a white rock from my yellow plastic bucket. She smiled telling me that it was a pretty rock and then passing it to my mother. She gave me a kiss on my head, telling me that those were her favorites because of their pure color. The loving smiles my biological mother and my adoptive mother gave me made me feel as though everything would be alright because they loved me so dearly that nothing could destroy our bond._

 _Then I heard it. A gunshot that was accompanied by fearful shrieks from apes outside. My father was the first to check it out, Zira and my mother soon followed. I looked out of the window and saw Zira crying over Milo's body which was in a pool of blood. Tears began to well up in my eyes, soon overflowing down my face._

" _Colonel! We got apes here!" I heard a young man shout. His leader only told him to kill what wasn't on their side. My mother screamed out in pain causing me to run outside to her._

 _Before, I was able to get to her, an explosion engulfed her in flames. My father screamed, cursing in spanish at the people who blew her up. He ran at them but was quickly shot dead._

 _Zira suddenly grabbed me, taking me to the safety of the trees. The forest was on fire! All I could smell was smoke and burning flesh. I gagged at the horrid smell._

 _The polluted air was starting to affect Zira. Her breathing was becoming heavy and she wasn't swinging as fast. Next thing I knew we were falling. The female bonobo broke my fall but the pain wasn't over yet._

 _A man walked up to us, he wore a hood so I couldn't see his face. He grabbed my neck, squeezing it tightly. The mysterious figure brought something up to my face, I screamed thinking it was a gun._

 _It was a mirror. He forced me to look into it and there I saw five-year old me. My face was covered in soot and dirt. It was moistened by sweat._

 _I felt so small and helpless._

 _The man suddenly threw me hard onto the ground, knocking the air out of me. He laughed maniacally before saying, "You see that? You're worthless. Useless. That's who you are. You think your new family is gonna be around long? Nah they ain't, dumb bitch. They're gonna die like your other two families. All because of you. You're a harbinger of death. Ha, you're a murderer too! Ya killed ya own uncle! YOU KILLED ME!" He took off his hood and I now knew who it was; Uncle Zaius. "If you wouldn't have gone to town, you wouldn't have picked up that damn monkey disease! You fucking brat!" He kicked dirt at me._

 _I was all out sobbing at this point. Yes, I went to town. I was looking for a way to punish my uncle for killing Bentley and for verbally abusing me. I ran out of that small town when I noticed people were rioting and there were bodies on the floor, many of them with blood coming out of their facial orifices. One of them had some laxatives which I took back to the cabin. It wasn't supposed to kill him!_

" _I'm sorry, sir! I swear I didn't know they were contaminated!" I desperately begged for forgiveness._

" _Doesn't matter. Point is you didn't feel remorse until years after my death. Why is that? Because you're a monster. You're a worthless, no good degenerate that deserves nothing but pain and suffering."_

 _He walked up to me, bringing his gun out of it's his holster. Zaius looked at the sky then said, "Looks like your friend wants you to wake up," He pointed the gun at my head. "Let's not keep him waiting."_

 _..._

I sat up on my bed, the gunshot still echoing in my head while my ears rang as if it actually happened. I panted as I sweated profusely.

Something suddenly nudged me causing me to yelp and jump away. I huddled close to the wall near my bed. I looked into the darkness and saw that it was Blue Eyes. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Why are you here?" I asked him, trying to sound calm. He looked concerned for me as he said, "Couldn't sleep. Came here to see if you were awake. Found you thrashing in sleep." He spoke quietly. His youthful yet husky voice sent shivers down my spine.

I exhaled loudly. "You want me to finish reading the book, don't you?"

He nodded.

"With what light?"

The ape grabbed something from the ground. I heard a click before a bright light hit my face. "Blue! It burns!" I whisper- yelled.

Blue Eyes only laughed at my reaction as he took the light out of my face. "Sorry."

I grabbed the book and began to read it to him. Blue Eyes held the flashlight, directing its glow onto the pages. As I read, the Ape Prince began to lean closer to me until I could feel his breath on my shoulders. I shuddered causing him to distance himself slightly. He eventually rested his head on my shoulder, closing his eyes.

"Better not fall asleep until the story is over." I warned.

He smirked before saying, "I'm listening. Trying to picture what you're reading in my mind."

"Mmmhmmm." I teased.

We soon got to the final two paragraphs of the book: "Downward, downward, faster and faster. Suddenly he was aware with certainty and joy that below, ahead, they were waiting for him; and that they were waiting, too, for the baby. For the first time, he heard something that he knew to  
be music. He heard people singing. Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps it was only an echo…" I finished reading.

"Well what an ambiguous ending. Am I right?" I gave a playful smile to my ape friend. He looked conflicted.

" _Do you think they made it?"_ He looked into my eyes as he signed.

"Hm, I don't know. I hope they did especially after all they went through. I guess it's up to the reader to decide." I told him.

" _It makes me sad, not knowing. I like happy endings."_ Blue Eyes looked disappointed.

"Life doesn't always have a happy ending." I muttered sadly. The ape frowned at me, raising his hands as if to sign something to me but I guess he decided to keep it to himself.

The teenage chimpanzee looked at the ground before asking me, "What was your dream about?"

I grimaced, not really wanting to answer that but I decided to anyways since Blue Eyes was my friend. "About my family, human and ape. Then it turned bad and there was gunshots and fire everywhere. They all died. I was the last to get shot." I left out the part about Zaius because I didn't want to remember that crap. It gave me so much stress and anxiety.

"I had nightmare too." He informed me. He sighed.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." I reassured Blue Eyes. He only looked at me before looking away again. I sighed, nudging his shoulder. I signed once he looked at me, " _Sleepy now?"_

He shook his head. _Same._

" _Well what do you wanna do?"_ He shrugged.

We just sat on my bed in silence, the flashlight began to flicker until it shut off and refused to turn back on. Now I complete darkness I spoke, "Well I guess reading isn't an option now." Blue Eyes let out a small hoot of amusement.

"You are part of Koba's family now?" He suddenly inquired. "Koba raised me with bad stories of your kind. Didn't know if I should hate you but I now know that I shouldn't and I don't. Like you. You are good and strong." He looked at me and I could barely make out that his eyes were a bit watery. _Why did he want to cry?_

"I like you too, Blue Eyes. You are a good friend." He frowned at my response.

"What?" I asked, defensively.

"Nevermind."

We sat there in silence for a little while until I saw Blue Eyes' head dip as if he was about to fall asleep. He soon did, laying down on my bed. He curled himself into the fetal position. _Cute._

I felt tired too so I decided to sleep as well. I didn't mind sharing my bed with him. It was big enough for us both.

* * *

A loud grunt woke the blue eyed ape. The teenager opened his eyes to find Koba towering over him. Koba called out Nina's name. She woke up with a loud yawn rubbing her sleepy eyes. Blue Eyes thought she looked even more beautiful in the morning. _What?_

"Good morning, you two." She greeted, sleepily. It was very early in the morning since the sun was barely starting to rise. Blue Eyes asked the bonobo why he was here this early in the morning.

" _Question is: why are YOU here?"_ The elder spoke, a smirk on his face when the teenager gave him an embarrassed look. " _Just kidding. I am here to tell Nina that Ari wants to see her."_

The human got up but looked at her still sleeping children then back to Koba. " _I will watch them until you get back."_ He reassured her.

As soon as she was out the door, the interrogation began.

"You and Nina friends?" He asked while walking around the home. Blue Eyes told them that they were friends.

" _Sure just friends?"_ Blue Eyes began to fidget. Did his uncle want him to confess?

"Yes." The young male stated firmly.

Koba only grinned deviously before continuing, "Koba not stupid. Know you see her as more than just a friend."

Blue Eyes' jaw dropped. If Koba knew, who else did? _Probably the whole colony. Shit._

The bonobo hooted before signing, " _When will you tell her?"_

Blue Eyes began to panic. "Never!" But he knew that was a lie. He told her the previous night but she didn't interpret it the way he wanted her too. The prince was happy she didn't since he regretted telling her afterwards.

"Don't be mad. Will not pursue her as mate." Blue Eyes was afraid that Koba would prevent him from being around Nina because of his feelings for her. He didn't want to lose her.

Koba told him to calm down. " _I am not mad. Do not care that she is human. I would rather she take an ape as a mate than a human. You may pursue her."_ He rested a comforting hand on the lovesick teen's shoulder.

Blue Eyes sighed. " _Do not think she likes me back. Think she only sees me as a friend."_

Koba rubbed his chin in thought. He moved to sit next to his nephew and began to groom him as he spoke, "Koba will help you."

Blue Eyes turned around to look at the bonobo's scarred face. Koba wanted to help him get a human mate? Kobs; the ape who told him that apes should hate humans because they were cruel and repulsive. _What the fuck?_

But the teenager wasn't about to voice his thoughts. Instead he thanked his uncle for deciding to help him. Blue Eyes knew he needed help. He thought about telling Ash but decided to wait.

Ash would tell Nina in a heartbeat if the prince did confide in him.

The two apes groomed each other until it was time for the young ones to go to school. Charlie came along with them. Maurice didn't mind the dog being brought to his class. The canine actually helped nake sure the children were paying attention to their teacher.

Blue Eyes said 'bye' to the class and Koba as he bounded off to Ash's home. It was time to to fishing.

He wondered what Ari wanted with the human teenager.

* * *

Cornelia groomed Ari as they waited for Nina to arrive. The two female apes wanted to have a word with her about a certain male.

Cornelia knew Blue Eyes had the hots for a female as he always had this content look when he thought no one was watching him. She didn't know who until Caesar had told her their son's concern over the female human. It didn't take long for the Queen to figure out his son was crushing over the girl.

In all honesty, she didn't care that Nina was human. As long as she made her son happy, she didn't mind having her as a future daughter-in-law. She knew Caesar wouldn't mind either. After all, he had compassion for the humans. Cornelia knew her husband was raised by them and she understood why he had that compassion for them.

Caesar's wife sighed happily. Her son was growing up fast. She was proud of him. Pretty soon, he'll be taking his father's place as Ape King. But until then, the young male had a lot to learn. Starting with talking to a girl he liked. The Ape Queen laughed.

" _What's so funny?"_ Ari asked.

"My son."

The bonobo nodded, laughing as well.

Ari was one of Cornelia's closet friends. She was happy that Ari finally told Koba how she felt. Though, she knew the female bonobo didn't do it on her own. Thanks to a certain human, her best friend had a mate and would soon have a children.

Nina finally walked in. "You wanted to see me?"

Both the apes nodded, gesturing for the human to sit in between them. Nina obeyed.

They began to groom her hair, making a flower crown for her as well. Ari was the first to speak, "Thank you for helping me with Koba."

"You're welcome." Nina sighed contently as she stared off into the distance. Cornelia smirked. "Thinking about my son?"

"Yeah…" Nina blushed as she realized what she just answered. She tried to fix it. "I mean no. Not that he isn't wo-rth thinking about or a-anything." She hugged her knees close to her chest, trying to hide her face ss she groaned in embarassment.

Cornelia felt a bit bad so decided to reassure the embarrassed teen. "Do not feel ashamed. We wanted to talk to you about Blue Eyes."

At that, the girl finally brought her face out of hiding. "What about him?"

Ari smiled warmly. " _We know you two are close. What we want to know is if you know he likes you."_

Nina looked shocked, but soon a gleeful smile formed on her lips. "He… like me?"

Both apes nodded.

"Do you feel the same way for him?" Cornelia asked.

Nina sighed. "Yes but… it confuses me. I've never felt this way about anyone before and I can't shut out the part of me that says I should only feel this way for a human male. I don't want a human male, or any other male except Blue Eyes. These feelings are new and strange yet wonderful. It scares me."

"It is okay." Ari reassured her family member. " _We will help you be with Blue Eyes if that's what the both of you want."_

" _I do want that."_ Nina stated.

"Okay then we will help." Cornelia informed her.

"Thank you. For everything." Nina gratefully told the two.

Cornelia only gave her a compassionate smile while Ari had an excited grin on her face.

The apes walked out as Ari informed Nina to meet Koba at the school.

 _ **See told you more Blue Eyes would be in this chapter. ^-^**_

 _ **Anyways, well there is going to be another time gap next chapter so yeah. (maybe not sure yet)**_

 _ **Just a heads up: I start summer school on July 5th and get out August 3rd so I don't know if I'll be able to update as frequently as I do now. Hopefully I can but if I can't, please be patient with me. Thanks! :)**_

 _ **Anyways goodnight everyone. (Its night where I am lol)**_


	11. Chapter 11: Chasing the Light

_**Thank you for the reviews, favs, and follows! Your support helps keep this story moving!**_

 _ **Enjoy! :)**_

Koba stood atop of a car on the Golden Gate Bridge. The ape had his spear at the ready as he scanned the area for danger while Nina was close by desperately looking for what she called 'feminine hygiene products.' Apparently, female humans started to bleed from that area every month once they hit puberty. _Glad that doesn't happen to female apes._

Nina had only started a couple days ago and asked Caesar to allow her to find the products at the bridge. Lucky for her, their leader allowed the trip.

She needed new pants and underwear as well. The human currently wore a loincloth made out of elk hide. From where he stood, the bonobo could see blood running down her leg, coating the already dried blood from previous leakage. At least the loincloth she wore wouldn't get stained in it as it only covered her buttocks and privates.

Koba worried that the scent of blood would draw unwanted predators.

Nina suddenly groaned in pain. He saw her hugging her stomach as if someone had just punched her there. The bonobo felt bad that he couldn't help her. He now knew that these so called 'periods' caused cramps and other pains. Koba sighed, reminding himself that this was natural and she would be fine in a few days.

"Found them!" She yelled triumphantly causing the ape to stumble, nearly falling off the car.

She turned to him, showing her a blue and white square package with the word 'menstrual pads' on it. The package was opened but was in decent condition and seemed to contain most of its pads.

Koba walked to her, taking the package in his hand before putting it in the cart being drawn by the black Belgian draft horse known as Trouble. Koba was unhappy that he couldn't take Mary with him The horse was pregnant and he didn't want to ride her, fearing that it may harm her or the unborn foal.

Trouble wasn't the best behaved horse the apes had but he was the strongest. Able to pull heavy loads.

"Go now?" Koba questioned Nina.

She shook her head. "Not yet, I still need clothing and a new book for me and Blue Eyes to read."

Koba ran a hand down his face before telling her to hurry up. He was hungry and the evening would be starting soon.

After a few more minutes, she found what she needed. Nina rode in the cart while Koba rode the horse. She refused to ride on Trouble for fear that she'd bleed on him.

Koba didn't disagree with her reasoning.

The trip back home left him to wonder about his only human family member. The bonobo thought about how scared she would've been when she first had a period. Fortunately, one of the members of her old troop knew what was going on and was quick to reassure her as well as the other worried apes. Koba wished her trooped would've made it to the colony. _Did any survive?_

He hoped so.

His thoughts then turned to his honorary nephew. Blue Eyes had confessed his feeling for Nina only a week ago to the older ape. They had yet to make any progress, mostly because the prince was to afraid to make a move.

The one-eyed ape heaved a sigh, hoping that the two would get together one day. He wanted them to be happy.

Also the suspense was _killing_ him. But it sure as hell was entertaining, even if it was a bit cruel to find amusement in his nephew's romantic struggle. He let out quiet pant-hoots of amusement, not wanting to draw Nina's attention.

"Hey, can you drop me off at the river? I need to clean myself up." The girl asked.

Koba stopped the horse, looking at her as he debated whether or not he should leave her _alone_ at the river when sunset was close. He knew he couldn't stay to keep an eye on her as she was adamant on privacy. The ape didn't understand why she was so against being seen naked. After all, she saw all the apes in the nude.

He signed simply, " _No."_

"Why?" She whined.

" _Because it is almost dark out and it is dangerous to be alone. Use a wet cloth to clean up at your hollow."_ He reasoned.

The teenager began to protest saying that she could defend herself. Koba gritted his teeth, frustrated that she wouldn't let it go. He eventually had enough and yelled, "NO! That is final."

Nina jumped back, hurt at Koba's outburst. "Jeez. Okay, sorry _dad_." She muttered sarcastically.

Koba guessed her attitude was a result of her period. He couldn't blame her. He'd be agitated too if he was in her place. Yet, he had to be strict with her. He didn't want her to get hurt or worse, _killed._

As they entered the village, Nina jumped out of the cart without even looking at Koba. Yes, she was upset.

Koba guessed she was heading home.

 _Dad?_ He recalled her earlier comment. Was he a father to her? He didn't think so. He was a friend, but would be a strict, protective father if she needed to be put in check. She was his family and he wouldn't let anything harm her.

He eventually sat in between Grey and Stone to eat. Nina hadn't come back to get food and he knew she was home sulking. He sighed, earning a questioning look from Stone who signed, _"Human worry you?"_

Koba nodded. Stone was starting to warm up to Nina after she helped calm his ever wailing newborn son, Otis. The human would sing him a song that would have the baby stare at her quietly as he slowly fell asleep. Unfortunately, Grey still wasn't at all fond of her but he decided to tolerate her for Koba.

" _What happened_?" Stone asked.

" _Nina wanted to go to river. I said no because getting dark. She wouldn't stop asking and Koba got mad. Yelled at her."_ The bonobo explained to his brown furred friend.

"Don't worry." Stone said. " _She will understand and forgive."_ The chimp started to hoot, amused at Koba's predicament, " _Not looking forward to when my son becomes a teenager."_

Koba laughed along with him. Grey just rolled his eyes but the two could tell he was suppressing a smile.

* * *

I sat on my bed, staring at the wall as I held my knees close to my chest. I was more sad than angry.

Koba yelling at me wasn't what triggered the sadness or the anger. The bonobo was right so no reason to be angry at him for being concerned over my safety. It triggered a flashback of when I asked my uncle if we could take Bentley to the veterinarian who had been vomiting a lot that day. As expected, Zaius refused. Being the persistent person I am, I kept asking. Eventually, he snapped. Yelling and hollering nasty things at me as well as my dog.

I sighed, shutting my eyes tightly. _That's the past. It's okay now. You're okay._ I mentally repeated to myself. I hated how memories like those made me feel. It was awful.

Over the years, I've been able to suppress them. Sadly, they can be triggered. The nightmare I had a week ago seemed to only worsen my vulnerability to sudden flashbacks. _Oh well. Endure and survive._

My dad used to say that a lot. I think he got it from a video game. I'm not sure though. It is a good motto, at least for me.

I heard a knock on the door. Turning around, I saw Koba at the entrance. Hope and Hunter were with him. The two eagerly greeted me telling me about their day as Koba set the plate of food he had on my nightstand. It didn't take long for my kids to tire themselves out and soon enough they knocked out on my bed. Koba carried Hope to her bed while I carried her brother to his bed. Charlie decided to sleep on the floor tonight.

Afterwards, I sat on a chair in between the twins' beds.

Koba apologized for yelling at me earlier.

I shook my head sighing, " _No need to apologize. You were only trying to protect me. I am sorry for not accepting your decision."_

My friend didn't seem to know what to say after that. He tried to start a conversation but I wasn't in the mood for one. I sighed. "No offense but I want to be alone right now. Thanks for bringing the twins home and bringing me something to eat."

I'm guessing he understood because he didn't argue. Instead, he walked up to me, touching our foreheads. He told me 'goodnight.'

"Goodnight, Koba. Tell Ari I said goodnight to her too. Sleep well, you two."

Koba left, bounding out of my home and all fours.

I tiredly ate my food. It didn't really taste like anything. Maybe because I was half asleep. It did stop my growling stomach at least.

I was glad I didn't have to worry about bleeding all over the place thanks to the pad. After I was done eating, I lied down, hoping tonight would be nightmare free.

* * *

Hope gently poked her mother's leg, trying to wake her up. Nina stirred and eventually opened her eyes to see the little ape sitting at the foot of her bed.

"Hope? What's wrong, sweetie?" Nina asked, obviously concerned for her daughter. Hope never had problems in the night.

Hope tried to hold back her tears as she spoke in her soft voice, "Can't...sleep. Sad. Scared."

"Why?" Nina asked, offering Hope a hug who eagerly jumped into her mother's arms.

"Others. At school. Say you not mother. Make fun of Hope." She barely got the words out. The little girl cried. Nina rubbed her back soothingly, cooing to the distressed child.

"How long has this been happening? Who are these apes?" Nina tried to hide her angry from Hope. _No one hurts my kids. No one._

"Few days. Don't know. Apes names. Corner me after class. Sometimes happens to Hunter too." Hope paused, opting to sign as she kept hiccuping when she spoke. " _Mother? Why do look different?"_

Hope only started noticing how her and her brother did not resemble Nina. It scared the child. She felt as though Nina would realize it as well and then abandon the two.

"Hope, it is because we are not the same type of person. You are a chimpanzee. I am a human." Nina explained, not wanting to lie to her daughter.

"Will stop. Loving us because different?"

"Of course not. You and Hunter are my babies, my family. Remember this my child; Blood does not make a family. Love does. And I love you and your brother. I always will." Nina hugged Hope close, kissing her little head. Hope wiped away her tears feeling a bit better but not ready to sleep.

"Sing?" She asked.

Nina chuckled. "Sure. What do you want me to sing?"

Hope wasn't sure. She stuck her tongue out as she thought hard. "Want two songs. Heart one and new one."

"Coming right up." Nina cleared her throat before gently wiping away Hope's remaining tears. "Come stop your crying, it will be alright. Just take my hand, hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you. I will be here, don't you cry. For one so small, you seem so strong. My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. This bond between us can't be broken. I will be here, don't you cry..."

As Nina sang the chorus, Hunter woke up. The ape quickly ran to his mother's bed, wanting to be held and sung to as well. Both the kids loved this song. Hope loved it even more now that she understood the meaning to it. She could _relate_ to it.

"Why can't they understand the way we feel? They just don't trust what they can't explain. I know we're different but deep inside us, we're not that different at all."

The small family huddled close together as Nina repeated the chorus. Hope would mumble the lyrics, hoping one day she could sing like her mother. Hunter held onto the human's clothing, as if his life depended on it. His sister knew he was just as distressed by what the others have told him. He was just better at hiding it, pretending it didn't get to him. Oh but it did. Hope knew her brother hurt more than she did.

"Don't listen to them, 'cause what do they know? We need each other. To have, to hold. They'll see in time. I know…"

Nina stopped singing for a second to look into her children's eyes, a look of determination and hope on the happy mother's face.

"When destiny calls you, you must be strong. I may not be with you but you've got to hold on. They'll see in time. I know. We'll show them together!"

As she sang the final chorus, she carried the two back to their beds.

" 'Cause you'll be in my heart. Believe me, you'll be in my heart. I'll be there from this day on, now and forever more…"

Nina sat on the chair in between the twos' beds as she finished the song. They were sleepy but they wanted a second song.

"Alright, kiddos. Let me think…. ahaa!" She started humming a cheerful melody before she began to sing.

This new song was about love and Hope liked it. It made her feel happy. _Second favorite song now. Heart song will always be first._

 _ **Songs: You'll Be In My Heart by Phil Collins and I Feel Love by Charlie Rich (Benji theme)**_

 _ **Anyways let me know what you think!**_


	12. Chapter 12: Tenderly

_**Sorry for the long wait. Summer school is draining.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

 **August 2025**

Blue Eyes was perched on a branch of his home, looking down upon the school. He watched as Maurice taught the young ones. Among them were Hope and Hunter. Nina had asked him to take them home after school as she was out hunting small game with Koba. Ari was out tending to the apes' gardens.

The prince was eager to help out the girl as he volunteered to be her kids' babysitter for the day without hesitation.

As he waited for Maurice to end his class, he thought about the human girl he had grown close to. She would hang out with him and Ash quite often. Of course, Blue Eyes would have to monitor his actions when Ash was with them. He didn't want the ashy-colored chimpanzee to figure out he liked Nina as more than just a friend.

Koba hadn't really done much to help him woo the human. The older ape would just advise him to be honest with Nina by telling her how he felt. Blue Eyes thought Koba was insane. How could he just tell her his feelings? It felt like emotional suicide to him. _Have to tell her eventually._ Yes, Blue Eyes knew that but he couldn't find the courage to do so.

Ash was with Adara. His best friend had finally told her how he felt. Blue Eyes was happy for them yet he couldn't help but envy his honorary-cousin's courage.

He sighed, just noticing that Maurice had ended his class. The prince panicked, frantically looking for the children he was supposed to be escorting home and watching over.

It didn't take long for him to find the two. They were in a relatively secluded area of the colony playing with Charlie. Blue Eyes climbed down and began walking towards them. An ape came up to the young bonobos before he did. Blue Eyes recognized him. He was an orangutan named Ajay and was about a couple years younger than the prince.

The teenager got a bad feeling about this confrontation. The feeling was justified when he saw the orangutan shove Hunter onto the ground. Charlie growled and snapped his jaws to warn the intruder away. The canine got hit hard enough that his body flung a couple feet away. Blue Eyes was quick to intervene.

He ran up to Ajay, puffing out his chest and snarling at the orange-colored ape. Ajay took on a defensive stance as he said, "What? Wasn't hurting them."

"Liar!" Blue Eyes angrily accused. Caesar's son stood protectively in front of the twins and Charlie. Hope was making sure the dog wasn't seriously injured by the blow.

" _I was just playing with them. Giving them advice."_ Ajay snickered. Blue Eyes narrowed his eyes threateningly at the younger ape. The bully was obviously unintimidated by the chimp's presence.

" _Was just telling them that their_ mother _doesn't love them."_ Ajay signed, receiving a growl from the older chimp. The preteen added extra venom at the word 'mother.'

"Nina is good mother. Does love children." Blue Eyes was so close to fighting Ajay but he knew he needed to keep his cool. He didn't want to deal with the consequences of beating up a younger ape.

"No. Sees them as pets." Ajay looked at the twins and told them that they were just pets to her and she didn't love the two. "Humans don't love. She will cage you. Hurt you." The orangutan warned.

He made to leave but quickly turned around to punch an unprepared Blue Eyes in the jaw. The chimp fell to the ground stunned. Once he recovered he stood up and wiped away the blood on his now cut lower lip. Ajay had run away after throwing the punch.

The prince turned his attention to Hope and Hunter. He asked them if they were okay and they both nodded in unison. Charlie was fine as well, though he looked incredibly scared. Hope was trying her best to comfort the black-furred animal.

"Come. Taking you home." He informed the two.

He hoped Nina was already there waiting for them. He needed to tell her what happened.

* * *

Maurice watched from a distance as Blue Eyes led Nina's children home. The elder was proud that the prince did not fight the younger orangutan. He kept his cool, like his father would've. _Will make a great king._

The ape decided to inform Caesar on what he witnessed. As he headed up the spiral staircase of Home Tree, he bumped into Cornelia. He greeted her politely and she smiled in return, continuing her walk down the tree.

He walked into Caesar's home, hooting to alert his leader of his presence. Caesar sat with a chess board and invited Maurice to sit at the other side of it. The orang took the seat and told Caesar on what he witnessed.

The chimpanzee frowned, disappointed that an ape would mistreat children and an innocent animal. " _Because of Nina?"_

Maurice nodded. " _Ajay said Nina will hurt babies. Says she doesn't love him."_ He bowed his head in shame, " _I should have known this was happening. Hope and Hunter have been more reserved lately. Seem sad."_

Caesar grunted, telling his friend that it was not his fault. " _What should I do, my friend?"_

The orang made soft sounds as he thought. There were still many apes who hated the human girl, it was a given because of her species. He assumed that after Koba's wedding ceremony, where Nina was officially accepted into his family, that the human-hating apes would finally accept her. After all, Koba had the biggest hatred for humans yet he had accepted one into his family. What upset Maurice the most was that there were apes willing to take out their frustration on Hope and Hunter who were just innocent children.

" _We just need to talk to apes. Tell them to leave the children alone. If they are caught harassing the children, make them clean up horse shit as punishment."_ Maurice suggested.

Caesar's eyes widened as Maurice never cursed. " _Good idea."_

The orangutan was just so angry at the twins' treatment, he couldn't stop himself from using that language. He sighed tiredly, telling Caesar that he was going home now. The Ape King bid his friend farewell as he continued his lone game of chess.

Maurice left to find Ajay. He needed to give the preteen a warning.

* * *

Caesar wanted to speak to Blue Eyes. He was proud that his son did not start a fight with Ajay. He knew his son had grown close to Nina and was glad that he defended her children as well as her.

Hooting could be heard from outside as well as shouting. The leader sighed as he stood up to see what was going on. In the heart of the colony, he could see Maurice addressing a young orangutan. Ajay signed angrily as he glared at the elder. Caesar knew he had to intervene.

"Ajay! Come here!" The authority was evident in the chimp's voice and the ape knew better than to disobey. The orang took his time to get to Caesar who led him up to the canopy of his home. Once they were seated he asked, " _Maurice told me what you did."_

Ajay scoffed. _"Was only helping."_

"By hurting ape?" Caesar asked as he raised his brow. He turned his back on the chimpanzee, refusing to look at him. The Ape King warned Ajay to never hurt any ape again and to leave Hope and Hunter alone.

"Fine." He said, still having his back to Caesar. He hooted reassuringly as he rested a hand on the youngster's shoulder.

"I know you are hurt and angry because of what humans did to your mother.." The kid turned his head just enough to see the adult in his peripheral vision, "But that does not mean you should take it out on a child. They did not take away your mother. Nina didn't either."

"Whatever." The youngster retorted before leaving. Caesar watched the orangutan climb down the tree. He felt saddened that the child had so much anger and hate in his heart. One so young should not feel such deadly emotions.

He heaved a tired sigh as he ran a hand down his face. _Will there ever be true peace between apes and humans?_

The king hoped so. He knew Nina couldn't be the only one left. She said she was immune to the plague that supposed wiped out her species. What if there are more immune humans like her?

The thought made him uneasy. They could not find the colony or else. _War._

He didn't doubt the humans blamed his people for the disease that destroyed all of _Homo sapien_ civilization. They would seek revenge.

He found himself hoping that Nina was the very last human on Earth.

* * *

Ash sat behind Adara. He was grooming the female's back as they talked.

"What to so long to tell me?" Adara asked, feigning annoyance.

"Didn't want to get rejected. Was afraid." Ash replied, shame evident in his tone.

"Ash? Afraid?" She started hooting amusingly. She turned to face him. He had a frown.

" _Ash not afraid of anything. Too strong and fast."_ The male puffed out his chest, trying to impress his soon-to-be mate.

The light-brown furred female smirked. " _Was afraid of me."_

Ash suddenly tackled the female causing the two to roll around in the meadow of flowers. Butterflies flew away, frightened by the disturbance and were now flying around the couple looking for a new flower to feed on nectar.

The chimpanzees stopped rolling, Adara was now on top of Ash. She looked at him with loving eyes. Staring into those emerald eyes, Ahs couldn't believe he was with this beautiful girl. _Took a year but was worth it._

"I love you." He spoke before he was even aware of what he was saying. Adara's smile faded and he could see the shock in her eyes. Rocket's son now had a lump forming in his throat, worried that he said it too soon and now Adara would leave him. _No. Overthinking it. Calm down._

Then she spoke the words back to him. "I love you too, Ash."

Ash hooted happily, gently bringing her forehead to his. She smiled just as widely as he did. _I want her for the rest of my life._

As if reading his thoughts, Grey's daughter said, "When will we be mated?"

That had Ash choking on his own spit. Mating meant she'd more than likely get pregnant. He was not ready to be a father yet. She wasn't ready to be a mother, but he didn't tell her that. It'd hurt her.

" _Do you really want me as your husband, your mate for life?"_

Adara nodded. " _Absolutely."_

" _Then we be mated when become a skilled hunter and warrior."_ He wanted to be able to support his future family so this was a must for him. Be able to provide first, then have a family that he'll provide for and protect.

The female rolled off the chimp to lay next to him as she rested her head on his strong bicep.

The two soon fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

"It is time to go." Koba told me. I nodded, handing him the two rabbits I was able to catch. I could've done better but my mind just wasn't in the right place. After what Hope told me last night, I couldn't help but worry about them. That's why I wanted Blue to pick them up from school. Bullies were less likely to hurt them if they had a guardian by their side. I know the prince would protect them.

Koba and I werent too far from the colony so we decided to walk back rather than climb.

We talked during the walk there, mostly about hunting strategies and the best places to forage for berries and other edible plants.

He poked my shoulder and I looked to see him smiling deviously. " _Have you found a mate yet?"_

If I was drinking water I would have spat it out. "Of course not!" I could feel my cheeks begin to warm. _Dammit, I'm blush._

Koba let out soft hoots as he signed, _"No need to be embarrassed. Sure you don't have a mate in mind at least?"_

I shrugged, looking at the dirt beneath my feet. "No I don't. There aren't exactly any male humans my age around here."

The bonobo grunted. "What about ape male?"

 _Oh shit he's on to me!_ I panicked as I stuttered out. "N-nope."

Just outside of the ape colony, he put his arm in front of me, stopping me from entering. "Is name Blue Eyes?"

I avoided eye contact and kept my head low. I didn't want to lie so I just stayed silent. Koba lifted my chin up so I could look at him. He had a knowing smile on his face. "Tell him. Have my permission."

He then told me he'd skin the rabbits for me before left. I stood at the entrance, shocked at what had just happened. Koba had approved of me, a human, pursuing an ape as a mate. _Wierd._

And I didn't see anything wrong with being with a chimpanzee. He wasn't an ordinary chimp. He was smart like a human. He was cute and handsome. His eyes were such beautiful orbs of blue it looked as if he held an ocean in them. His youthful, husky voice… _Wow._

A grunt brought me out of my trance. Luca stood in front of me with a curious look. " _You okay?"_

"Uh… yeah." I bid him farewell and ran to my home. Before I entered, I heard laughter and gleeful squealing coming from the inside, along with the occasional bark from Charlie. I quietly entered to find Blue playing with my family. I watched as he lifted Hope into the air and then started to playfully wrestle my son. He even played with Charlie. It was so sweet.

I realized that I really did like him and should tell him my feelings… but I am afraid. I know he is fine with having me, a human, as a friend. I doubt he'll want me as a… girlfriend or even a mate. I am not a suitable wife for the Ape Prince simple because of my species. _Just tell him._

I sighed. _Fine._ I just hoped we could retain our friendship even if he rejects my affections. "Blue Eyes, can I talk to you outside?"

 _ **Is that a cliffhanger? Lol if it is I'm not sorry. Anyways thanks for being patient with me and if you have any questions pertaining to this story feel free to leave it in a review or PM it to me.**_

 _ **Until next time! :)**_


	13. Chapter 13: Man Down

_**There is more mature content in this chapter (well to my standards it's not bad but to others it may be.) Anyways if you believe I should up the rating, let me know!**_

 _ **I've also noticed I say "anyways" quite often in my author's notes.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy this chapter. R &R! :)**_

"Blue Eyes, can I talk to you outside?"

The chimp turned to give Nina a questioning look. He set down Hope and patted Hunter's head before he followed the human outside. She looked nervous and it was rubbing off on him as his heartbeat began to accelerate.

"What is it?" He asked. Nina got close enough to him that he could hear her breathe. She opened her mouth as if to say something but quickly retreated from Blue Eyes. He cocked a concerned brow and asked if she was okay.

" _Yeah. I just want to tell you something but I'm afraid to."_ She signed, anxiety evident in her movements. She avoided his gaze and the ape noticed her hands were shaking.

He walked up to her, putting her hands in his. "Do not be scared. Can tell me anything. Am your friend."

She took a deep breath before making eye contact with him. Blue Eyes felt his heart skip a beat as he stared into her honey eyes. They held so much emotion in them that all he needed to do to know her mood and thoughts was to look into them. _Beautiful._

"Blue, is… is there a possibility that we could be more than friends?" Her cheeks were bright red now and he could see fear in her eyes as well as a bit of hope.

What does she mean? _You know what she means, stupid!_

Had she just said she wanted to be more than friends?

Blue Eyes stood there dumbfounded, unsure how to answer. Of course, he wanted her as more than just a friend. His feelings for her have only grown since the day he first laid his eyes on here. The very first day they met…

He _knew_ he wanted _her._

"I just like you Blue and- and if you don't feel the same way that's cool too. I'm okay with being just friends." She panicked as a result of his silence, taking it as rejection.

Blue Eyes told her to calm down before letting go of her hands to sign, " _Already told you I like you too."_ He smirked at the confused look on her face.

"Wait what? When did you tell me that?"

" _The night we finished_ _The Giver_ _."_ He explained. She seemed to remember.

"I guess I took it the wrong way, huh?" She laughed awkwardly. Blue Eyes hooted happily.

" _So are we…?_ She inquired.

Blue Eyes brought their foreheads together, breathing contently. "Yes. I chose you as mate."

* * *

Did he just say he's choosing me as his mate? _Oh my god._ Before I knew it, my lips were on his. They were surprisingly soft but neither of us knew what to do as we kissed. I didn't think apes kissed and I've never kissed anyone else before so I hoped Blue wouldn't be freaked out by it.

He wasn't. His arms wrapped around me as our kissing deepened.

After a couple minutes, we pulled away to catch our breath. Our bodies were still pressed against each other. I felt something poking my thigh. Looking down, I saw Blue Eyes' erection. _Why is it that I don't notice his genitals until now?_

He didn't seem embarrassed by it. In fact, he seemed proud of it as he began to move it by swaying his hips. I giggled at his antics.

A grunt caught our attention. Koba stood a few feet away from us with the skinned rabbits in his hand. Blue Eyes immediately tried to hide his boner from the bonobo.

My mentor told the prince his father wanted to see him and the teenager quickly ran off.

We both watched him leave and once he was gone Koba spoke, "Did you two… mate?"

I choked on my spit. "No! Of course not! We just confessed our feelings and well… kissed."

The ape pant-hooted as he signed, " _Took you two long enough!"_

I didn't respond to his comment as I opted to just sigh happily. _I did it._

"Here," He handed me the rabbits. "Feed yourself and young. Come to my home when done. More climbing lessons before nightfall."

I nodded. "Okay, Koba." And with that the scarred primate left to go do whatever it was he planned to do.

I looked at the rabbits in my hand. The hunger I'd lost moments before telling Blue Eyes my feelings was back… with a vengeance. My stomach growled and I was sure the twins were hungry as well. I made a fire a safe distance away from my home to cook the rabbits. There was also a pot of boiling water there. Hope and Hunter didn't really like meat much so I fed them berry milk. It was just mashed berries mixed in with the milk formula. Hopefully, they'd eat a bit of rabbit today.

As I watched the rabbits cook, an orangutan walked up to me. It was Maurice.

"Hey, Maurice. What brings you here?"

" _Need to talk to you about Hope and Hunter. A young ape named Ajay has been harassing them."_ He informed.

 _Oh this Ajay is in BIG trouble._

* * *

Ajay was sulking in his small hollow that was high up in the canopy. He moved out of his larger hut after his mother passed. The young orang couldn't handle the flood of emotions that flowed through him when he would visit his old home. No other ape had moved into it. Where an ape died became a sacred area where no one except family and very close friends were allowed to enter. Ajay was the only one who visited.

His father was killed during an elk hunt before he was born and his mother was caught and tortured by a group of humans a couple months after his birth. Ajay only recently found out about how his mother died and he instantly hated the species that took the only family member he had left.

A gorilla couple took him in. He became best friends with their youngest son, Aldo. The orangutan knew he wasn't related to them and always felt as if he didn't belong with them. Aldo would always reassure him that they loved him and he was his brother. It helped… for the most part.

He chose to have his home built above ground because he felt at home in the trees, it was also a good way to keep his adoptive family from interacting with him since gorillas aren't very good climbers. Ajay wasn't in the mood to interact with anyone lately, it agitated him when he had to.

The youngster started to think about what Caesar had told him. He wasn't going to listen to his king. Caesar didn't know what was best for the twins. Ajay did, he was going to help them by making them see the monster that Nina was. Hope and Hunter needed an ape mother, and Ajay knew how to give them one.

All he needed to do was get Nina kicked out of the colony.

* * *

Koba led Nina to the tallest tree he could find. It didn't take them long to reach the top as Nina's climbing skills have improved a lot. The bonobo was proud. Nina was becoming an ape and the more she spent time with them, the less human she looked to him. Grey was even started to like her.

They were perched on separate branches, Koba was beneath the human just in case she slipped.

He heard her inhale then exhale deeply.

"Koba?"

"Yes?"

She looked down at him. "Do you think Caesar would be fine with Blue Eyes choosing me as his mate?"

He had to think for a moment. Caesar was very compassionate towards her species but would he allow an interspecies marriage to occur, especially if it involved one of his own bloodline? Koba knew Blue Eyes would need to have an heir to continue Caesar's legacy. What if the two can't have children?

Koba didn't think a human-chimpanzee hybrid was possible. However, highly-intelligent apes were once thought to be impossible as well. Maybe Blue Eyes and Nina could have young. Koba hoped they could, he wanted the two to be happy and he knew Caesar would want the same for them. "Yes. Caesar wants son to be happy. Wants both of you to be happy. If Koba is fine with it, he will be too." The bonobo gave her a reassuring smile then began to climb down the tree. She shouted for him to slow down.

The ape plopped down onto the Earth and waited about five minutes for his human friend to get down.

Once she was on the ground, she walked to her horse. She had only recently learned how to ride so Koba would have to sit behind her to make sure she didn't mess up or fall off.

"Hey, BoJack." Nina greeted the brown horse. She patted his head before she mounted him. Koba decided to let her ride the horse on her own as he took to the trees.

Only a few minutes after leaving the tree they were in, someone shouted at Nina to stop.

Koba stayed in the trees as he watched Nina confront whoever it was. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a male human.

* * *

I looked at the man in front of me. He was tan and lean-muscled. His skin was covered in dirt and grime and his brown hair was matted. He looked like a savage.

"What do you want?" I failed at trying to sound friendly. His body stiffened at my hostile tone.

"My camp was raided… my group was slaughtered. I was the only one to make it out alive. Please take me to your camp. I'm injured." He limped slightly and groaned in pain. _Something seems off._

I noticed the bow in his hand and the quiver on his back full of arrows. BoJack was growing just as uneasy as I was about this man. He was dangerous and we both knew it. It didn't help that I left my spear back at the colony. _I've no way to defend myself if this guy attacks me._

I hoped Koba was close by in case things went south.

I cleared my throat, and mustered all of my confidence as I said. "I don't have a camp. Nomadic lifestyle is my thing. Sorry I can't help you."

I saw a flash of rage in his eyes that soon turned to sadness. He huffed and began to walk away… without limping. _Fucking liar._

Just as I turned BoJack to the direction of the colony, I felt something prick my thigh. I looked at it to find an arrow embedded into my flesh. I screamed in pain causing BoJack to toss me off of him. I landed on the ground with a loud thud. The scared horse ran off.

I looked at my attacker but before he could finish me off Koba fell from the trees on top of the man. He began to beat him to death with the classic ape one-two punch.

A flash of light caught my attention. In the bushes behind Koba, I could see a man with a gun in his hand. I quickly grabbed the dead human's bow and then snatched an arrow from his quiver. I took aim and prayed I wouldn't miss.

I felt sick as I watched the blood spurt out of the man's neck- where the arrow had gone into. He fell to the ground, staining the vegetation with red as he bled to death.

My friend walked to the human's dead body and picked up his gun. He brought it to me, assuming I would know what kind of gun it was and what to do with it. Still sitting on the ground, I studied the rifle. My Uncle Zaius had one just like it. It was a hunting rifle.

I suddenly screamed in agony. Koba held a bloody arrow in his hand. It was the one that was in my thigh.

"Fucking hell, Koba! Could've warned me you were gonna pull it out first!" I yelled angrily.

"Needed to take it out when you were distracted by human gun. Hurts less that way." He defended himself. He then ripped off one of the dead men's shirts, balling it up before placing it on my bleeding wound.

"Press here." He brought my hands to the fabric that was now soaked in my blood. He then ripped in half one the their pants to tie it around my thigh, in an attempt to slow the bleeding.

" _Can you walk?"_ The worry was now evident in the scarred bonobo's face.

"We'll see." I stood up but immediately fell back onto the ground. The pain was to much and the bleeding seemed to have worsen in my attempt to stand.

"I guess I can't walk." I brought the rifle back onto my lap. "What do we tell Caesar?"

He frowned before answering, " _Cannot tell him we killed two humans. Will be upset."_

I nodded in agreement. I still felt nauseous at the fact I killed a man or maybe it was just the blood loss. "What do we do with this?" I handed the rifle to him. He looked at it with hunger and… longing? _For what?_

"We bury it here." He walked to a tree and began to dig. He soon had the hunting rifle buried in the Earth. Koba then picked up the bow then slung the quiver of arrows of his shoulder. " _You keep these. Maybe hunt better."_ He laughed.

I ignored his playful insult. "How are we supposed to get me back to the Ape Village?"

* * *

It took a little bit of persuasion but Koba succeeded in getting Nina to walk on all fours- or rather threes. Once they got to the colony, Harambe was quick to carry the injured girl to the medical center.

The bonobo explained to Luca and then to Caesar that Nina had fallen out of a tree and landed on a protruding branch. When asked about the human weapon, he lied that they found them buried beneath a berry bush. To Koba's relief, the apes believed him.

He didn't feel good about lying to his brethren but he reasoned that it was for their own good. Hopefully, they wouldn't encounter any more humans.

He ran to Nina's home to find Ari watching over the twins. He informed his mate on Nina's 'accident' and she was quick to leave Koba in charge of Hope and Hunter to check up on their human family member.

As he played with the children, he couldn't shake the feeling that apes would soon encounter humans again.

 _ **The events of DotPotA will soon be upon us. :o**_

 _ **Anyways I should tell you Ajay is 4 years old which in human years (at least in my headcanon) is 11-12. Blue is 6 making him 15 in human years. Hope and Hunter are almost 3 months old… I think. Math isn't my forte btw.**_

 _ **In human years, the twins are about 2-3 years old but they are far smarter than any human that age.**_

 _ **And yes, Nina's horse is named after BoJack Horseman. (Watch it on Netflix. It's an amazing show!)**_

 _ **Anyways, tomorrow is my last day of summer school so updates should be more frequent. I plan on finishing this story before WftPotA is released.**_

 _ **Have a nice day/night!**_


	14. Chapter 14: The Troubles

_**Hey there! I decided to give a little backstory on Ari in this chapter. So I hope you like that! :)**_

 _ **Oh yeah and I made a mistake in the twins' age in my last authors note. They are actually 4 months old.**_

 _ **Currently, the apes and Nina are in late June/early July of the year before Malcom and his crew arrive. Those humans arrive in April of the year coming up. (At least in my mind lol.) So yeah just thought I clear things up a bit.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

Ari entered the Healing Center and quickly looked for the girl. One of the healers, a male chimpanzee named Fifer, led her to the human. Sparrow was placing a clean towel onto the bleeding wound. She ordered Fifer to get her one of the human medical kits which were taken from the city.

The male quickly returned with the white box with a red plus sign on it. Ari opened it for her and waited for Sparrow to ask for something in it.

"Give me another towel. Need to slow the bleeding first." Fifer handed her a new towel. Ari could only watch as Nina bled out. She saw the girl's eyes open and close as she drifted in and out of consciousness. Koba was going to get a mouthful for endangering their loved one. He shouldn't have been teaching her to climb, it's too dangerous for a human.

It took a couple more minutes but fortunately, the bleeding seemed to stop or at least slow significantly.

"Now for hard part." Ari heard Sparrow mutter. Fifer handed her a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Nina had taught them to use it to disinfectant wounds. She also taught them how to do stitches.

She uncapped the bottle and began to pour it onto the wound. As soon as the liquid made contact with the exposed tissue, Nina's eyes sprung open as she jumped up with a blood curdling screaming. The male chimpanzee quickly grabbed her shoulders to push her back down on the bed. Ari held down the human's injured leg so Sparrow could continue to clean the wound.

After an agonizing thirty minutes for all four parties involved, Nina's wound was stitched and cleaned.

Fifer and Sparrow left to go tend to other sick or injured apes while Ari chose to sit by Nina's bedside. The human was wide awake but looked very tired.

" _What happened?"_ The bonobo signed.

" _Fell out of tree. Landed on a spike thingy."_ The teenager explained.

Ari frowned. She knew that wasn't what happened and she didn't like being lied to. " _You and Koba both bad liars. Tell me the truth."_

She heaved a tired sigh. " _If I tell you, promise me that you will not tell anyone else. It is dangerous for apes to know."_

 _Dangerous?_ Ari thought she was exaggerating but if keeping it a secret would get Nina to spill the beans, then so be it. " _I promise not to tell anyone. Will keep secret."_

She gestured for the ape to pull the curtain made out of leaves and vines around the medical bed Nina was laying on. They needed to make sure no one would see what she was about to sign.

" _A man attacked me. Shot me with the weapon Koba brought back. Koba killed him. I killed the other man who was going to shoot Koba."_ Nina suddenly leaned over to the side of the bed to vomit. Ari hooted in surprise but quickly patted the girl's back as she continued to be sick.

"You okay?" Ari asked after Nina was done. She shook her head and Ari took note of how pale she looked.

" _I… killed a person. I didn't like it. I don't want to have to kill someone again."_ She started to shiver, obviously disturbed by what she'd done.

Ari gave her a sympathetic look as she placed a calming hand onto Nina's shoulder. " _It is okay. You did what had to be done. Though I hope you never have to make a decision like that again."_

The girl looked away. As they sat there in silence, Ari recalled what Koba had told her a few days before their wedding ceremony. Koba had killed two apes, Pope and Rex, almost eight winters ago. He had confided to her that he still was greatly frightened and ashamed by his actions. He killed an ape that was once his friend. Ari had assured him that he did what was best for apes. Pope and Rex were dangerous. If he didn't kill them, they no doubt would've come to the colony to kill Caesar then take over what they worked so hard to build. _Home._

 _Maybe she will feel better if Koba shared with her what he did for apes._ She thought hopefully.

She grabbed Nina's chin, turning the human's face to her own. "Going to get Koba. Ask him about Rex and Pope. Maybe make you feel less… shitty." The ape smirked at the shocked look on the young one's face. Ari actually cussed quite often, just not in front of her family.

She pushed back the curtain and waved goodbye before leaving.

The female bonobo didn't tell Nina what her husband had done because it was not her place to tell something that serious. She hoped Koba didn't tell the girl about the caged, starving humans he left to die when he was traveling to Pope's location.

She didn't want there to be any tension and drama within her family.

 _Just want a happy family._ Something she didn't have when she was a child.

All she had was a stuffed tiger as her only companion. Ari was once a circus ape like Maurice. She was trained how to do human things such as cook and juggle. If she failed at either, her electric collar would be used.

Her trainer was cruel to all of the circus animals. She recalled how he beat one of the dogs to death for not understanding how to do a trick. Her name was Francine and she was pregnant when she was killed.

The cruelty in this world caused her heart to ache.

She now stood in front of her home, absentmindedly touched her throat as she recalled her circus days. Her best day was when her collar was taken off and she ran until she eventually found Caesar's colony.

As if sensing her presence, Koba appeared in front of her. She noticed how tired he looked. It seemed he aged a couple decades. She guessed it was a result of his stress and worry over Nina.

"What's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

She shook her head, pushing aside her memories. "Nina is fine. Go see her. Will watch over children."

Koba nodded and informed her that babysitting would be easy since the twins were asleep.

She watched her mate run to Nina's location until she could no longer see him.

* * *

The scarred bonobo cautiously moved the curtain shielding Nina from the rest of the apes in the Healing Center. He sat at the foot of her bed, heaving a tired and sad sigh. Koba realized she wasn't awake. He decided to stay there until she woke up.

The ape was extremely tired, his head lulled to the side so he had to catch himself before he fell asleep on the girl. The bonobo didn't want to aggravate her wound.

He rubbed his eyes in an attempt to shake off the drowsiness. It was now midnight, he assumed, and rays of moonlight found their way through the cracks in the hut made of sticks and mud. The light allowed him to see Nina more clearly. Her hair had grown up to her cheeks but was untamed and tangled. _Will get her a brush when go to city again._

He traced the scars on her cheek with his index, middle, and ring fingers. They made her look fierce. She was fierce. He knew that now. She didn't hesitate to kill that man and in doing so she saved his life.

He moved her bangs to the side then got off the bed to sit in the chair next to it.

"Koba?"

He jumped, caught off guard by the sudden voice. Koba looked at Nina who had a weak smile on her face. " _What brings you here?"_

He hooted happily, glad that she was okay. " _Came to check on you. Ari is watching your kids. They will see you in the morning."_

She nodded, then hesitantly signed, " _Who was Rex and Pope?_

His eyes widened in shock. Who told her? How does she know about _them?_ Does she know _what HE_ did to them? "How know them?"

She flinched at his interrogative tone. "Ari." She said simply. _Of course._

"She said that it might make me feel better about what I did."

Koba frowned. "You told her about them?"

"Ari promised she wouldn't tell anyone. Now tell me about them, please?" Nina pleaded.

Koba huffed. "Fine."

" _Pope and Rex were once friends of mine. A two years after Caesar freed apes, Pope was sent to find apes who were still in the city. He did find apes… wild apes who weren't smart yet. He along with Rex trained them. Made them slaves. Pope killed a female chimpanzee named Cora. Fed her to a white bear. He hurt another ape named Fifer. Fifer escaped back to the colony and warned Caesar of Pope's plan to overthrow him."_

He let out a shaky breath before he said, "Caesar sent Koba to take care of Pope."

" _When I got there with my small army, Pope had a wild chimp on a leash. He called a fellow ape a dumb animal and it provoked me to attack him… because humans once called me a dumb animal. Stupid monkey."_

Koba clenched his fists as he tried to control his rage. He didn't want to let that red, primal rage control him ever again.

" _Was winning fight against Pope… had him on his knees saying 'Ape not kill ape.' My hesitation caused Rex to do this."_ He gestured to a scar on his right shoulder, the only scar not caused by a human.

" _Pope yelled at me for fighting him just to save the 'dumb animals.' That leashed ape escaped and began to beat Pope. Rex wanted to help but I stopped him. Had him on his back, begging me not to do it. I plunged my spear into his heart then skewered it into Pope's neck."_ He finished, now looking sick himself.

* * *

I sat there shocked at what Koba had just told me. _He's murdered. He broke the apes' most sacred law._

"I… understand why you did it. I am sorry you had to kill them. It was a sacrifice no one should have to make." I tried to comfort him.

"It was a worthy sacrifice. For apes." He seemed to be reassuring himself.

Koba avoided eye contact now as he said: "Before got to Pope, passed by a building with many caged humans, some were children. They begged to be set free, said they would starve if stayed there. Koba did nothing. Left them there to die."

He looked at me and I could see the tears forming in his eyes, could see the remorse in them for not only murdering two of his kind but for also indirectly killing many members of my species. "I am sorry."

I didn't know what to say. I felt angry, shocked, and disappointed that Koba would do such a thing. There were children in there for fuck's sake. Yet he has the audacity to claim he is better than my kind?

I breathed heavily, trying to keep it together. "I'm tired now. Please leave. We'll talk in the morning."

Koba hooted apologetically as he attempted to bring our foreheads together. I merely slapped his outstretched arm away. He pulled back, looking hurt. He left the hut on all fours, but before he exited he gave me one last apologetic look.

 _Please don't go._ The loneliness began to seep into my heart and all I wanted was someone's shoulder to cry on.

My bleeding thigh seemed to hurt less than my heart.

* * *

The Ape King was worried about his son. He had just found out that Blue Eyes and Nina just go into a romantic relationship with each other. Caesar was conflicted. On one hand, he was happy his son had found a potential mate but on the other hand he was not happy that thr female was a human.

It's not that he thought she was bad, it is just that she is not strong like an ape female. She may not be able to have young and Caesar wanted his son to have everything he could want. The father felt as though Nina couldn't give Blue Eyes that.

And so the father forbade his son from taking Nina as his mate. That decision came with sever consequences, Blue Eyes was angry at his father and Caesar saw the rebellion spark in his blue orbs before he stormed out of the King's room.

The worried father sighed as he sat on his bed, Cornelia sleeping behind him. He felt her touch him and he turned around so see her sign, " _Worried about Blue Eyes and Nina?"_

Caesar chuckled half-heartedly. His queen seemed to always know what was troubling him. " _Yes. Nina is hurt and our son is mad at me for not letting het be his mate."_

Cornelia frowned then slapped her husband upside the head. " _Son wants to be happy. Let them be mates. Nina is ape now. See nothing wrong with her being his mate. She would make a good wife for him. She is good for him. He is good for her. Like you and me."_

Caesar rubbed his head. "Okay." Was all he said. He figured that maybe Blue Eyes would move on from Nina to an ape female. After all, he was still young and wouldn't settle down for a couple more years.

He just hoped his son wouldn't stray away from his wing.

 _ **Pope, Fifer, and Rex are from the BOOM! DotPotA comics. I know a site where you can read them for free so if you want it, PM me.**_

 _ **So yeah, Koba and Nina's friendship is a little rocky right now.**_

 _ **Also, I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get any feedback for the last chapter. Guys, I need you to let me know if you like the way the story is going and whatnot so please let me know in a review!**_

 _ **Have a wonderful day! :D**_


	15. Chapter 15: All The Right Moves

_**I seriously couldn't thank you guys enough for the support you have given this story! :D**_

 _ **Next chapter might take longer to be posted as I want to make it 5,000 words. We need to get to the events of Dawn, big plans are in store...**_

The following afternoon, Ash and Adara were fishing, or at least trying to. Adara would constantly spook Ash when he was entirely focused on the water below. The gray ape found it irritating but he allowed his girlfriend to have her fun. He'd get back at her later.

" _Let me try."_ The female grabbed his spear and quickly caught a plump fish. Ash was surprised she knew how to fish and his pride hurt a bit knowing that she was better at it than him.

She smiled smugly as she threw the aquatic animal into a small basket. " _Going to look for berries now. You catch more fish."_

The male chimpanzee slowed his breathing, and focused intently on the water. He scanned it's surface and soon found prey swimming just below it. The grip on his spear tightened but just when he was about to plunge it into the water, Blue Eyes screamed his name. He cringed at his friend's angry tone and wondered if he was the cause of the prince's rage.

He turned around to see his best friend seething. Blue Eyes was breathing heavily and he seemed to have been... crying? " _What's wrong?"_ Ash signed, placing a hand on the younger chimp's shoulder.

" _Remember how I said I found a female I liked?"_

Ash nodded.

"Female is Nina." Blue Eyes confessed.

" _I knew it! Congratulations!"_ Ash beamed, glad his brother had found someone. Granted, he already knew it was Nina. Blue Eyes made it painfully obvious.

" _Doesn't matter anyways. My father says she can't be my mate. Forbade it."_ The dark-furred chimp threw a rock into the river in an attempt to alleviate some of his anger and frustration.

 _So that's why he's so angry._ Ash realized. "Why?"

" _Because she is human. He says she cannot be a good mate."_ Blue Eyes explained then snarled out, "He's fucking stupid."

Ash sighed as he rubbed his temples. "Surprised Caesar doesn't want you to be with Nina because she human."

" _Me too. Even Koba is okay with us being mates and Koba hates humans!"_ He hooted angrily.

" _At least Nina likes you too."_ Ash gave his friend a proud smile. Blue Eyes had a smile forming on his lips as well. Rocket's son knew his friend was thinking fondly about her at this moment.

"Yeah…" He said as he stared off into the distance. Ash shook his head, still saddened by Caesar's decision.

Just then, Adara came back with a sack full of berries. She hooted a greeting to the prince and then hugged Ash.

" _What's wrong with Blue Eyes?"_ She asked, noticing how the chimp didn't really seem to be on Earth right now.

" _Likes Nina. Thinking of her. He is also upset that Caesar said she could not be his mate."_ Ash informed her.

" _Because she is human?"_ Adara signed.

Ash nodded.

The female sighed, looking disappointed.

She nudged Blue Eyes and told him that his father would more than likely change his mind.

"Think so?"

" _Yeah. Even if he doesn't, you're next in line for the throne and when you're king you can marry whoever you want. Caesar won't be able to stop you."_ She reasoned. Ash held her hand, giving her a loving look. She always knew the right thing to say.

Blue Eyes seemed happier now and told the two that he was going to see Nina in the Healing Center. Ash and Adara followed him as they wanted to see her as well.

He just hoped Caesar wasn't there. No one wanted to see the Prince and the King at odds with each other.

* * *

I had just finished my lunch when Blue Eyes entered with Ash and Adara close behind. Hope and Hunter jumped off my bed to greet the three.

"Hey, guys." I gave them a weak smile as my thigh hurt like hell.

Adara walked up to me to give me a handful of berries. I thanked her for the little fruits. "So how are you guys?"

Ash snorted. "How are YOU?"

"Good, considering the gaping wound under this bandage." I moved the blanket that was covering my legs to show them said bandage.

"Ma fell. Got hurt." Hope told them. They frowned then Blue Eyes signed, " _No more climbing for you. Could die if you climb again."_

I rolled my eyes. "We'll see about that."

Blue Eyes didn't push the issue any further. I wish I could tell him what really happened. He was practically my best friend and if we were to be mates there shouldn't be any secrets. But his father was Caesar and it would be too much of a risk to tell the prince what had happened in the woods yesterday.

So it would be a secret only me and Koba would know, for now at least.

" _How'd you fall anyways? Koba said you were almost as good as an ape at climbing."_ Ash asked.

"Grabbed onto a weak branch, it gave out and I fell to the ground. Luckily, it wasn't too high of a fall." I lied.

They seemed to believe me. Then Adara offered to take my kids to school. I thanked her for it.

"Charlie. Stay. Protect." Hunter said as he pointed at me. The dog obeyed and sat next to my bed as the three left the healing hut.

Ash and Blue stood there just staring at me in silence. "What?"

Ash patted his friend's back before he too left.

"Is something wrong, Blue?" I asked, worriedly. He seemed saddened by something.

He sat on my bed before signing, " _Told my father about us. Said we cannot be mates. I am sorry."_

"Really? Wow." I was shocked. I'd expected Caesar to be fine with us. "So now what? We're just friends again?

He shook his head. " _No. When I am leader, I can choose whoever I want as mate. We just need to wait longer for that."_

That was a relief. _"There is still time to change his mind."_

He smiled at my response. " _You're right. Can I have a kiss?"_

Before we could kiss, Koba walked in. The scarred bonobo asked Blue Eyes to give us some privacy.

"Okay." He turned to me with a smirk, " _See you later."_

Once he was gone, Koba asked; " _Good time to talk?"_

"Sure." I muttered, irritably. "What do we talk about first? Like how you left innocent people to die in cages? Some of them were children for crying out loud!" I yelled, angrily. The questioning hoots from the other patients as well as healers caused me to start signing instead of ya know… yelling.

" _Answer me this, Koba. Do you think you're above my species? Above_ _ **me?**_ _"_

He looked shocked at my question. It took him a couple of minutes to answer. " _Above you, no. Above your species, yes."_

I snorted. "Yeah, well my species is a part of me. I am afterall a human. _Homo sapien_ if you wanna be scientific."

" _Homo sapien?"_ He questioned.

"Nevermind."

Koba got off the bed to pace around as he spoke. "Do not think you're above me. Above apes. See you as equal. You are good human." He paused to scratch his chin, " _Humans raised by humans are bad. Those are most of the humans. Humans raised by apes good. Like you. But humans like you are rare."_

I sighed. I couldn't argue with his logic, it made sense.

I honestly didn't want to be angry at him for something that happened so long ago. He only did it because he was angry with my kind for what they've done to him, who am I to judge him for not showing mercy when he was never given any by my fellow man?

I stood up, hobbling a bit as I tried to put as little weight as possible on my injured leg. I walked to him, his back was turned to me so I had to poke him to get his attention. He frowned, " _Should not be walking."_

I rolled my eyes. "Well I wanted to give you a hug as a sign I forgive you." He quickly took me into his arms, I would've lost my balance if I wasn't in his embrace. He led me back to the bed.

" _BUT we must bury the men we killed."_

* * *

Koba was utterly disgusted. Bury the men that tried to kill them? No fucking way.

He shook his head as he angrily signed, " _They tried to kill us. Why bury them? They are strangers!"_

She sighed. " _Because they are people. I just can't leave them to rot out in the open. We must respect the dead. Plus we don't know them. They could be good at heart for all we know. Please, Koba? Do it for me?"_

He looked into her pleading eyes and he knew he couldn't say 'no.'

"Fine." He growled out. She smiled happily. He bid her farewell then headed to where the men's bodies were. He was quick to bury them in the same grave. Nina wouldn't know anyways.

The ape then proceeded to the tree the rifle was buried under. He unearthed it, wiping off any remaining dirt. He figured out how to properly hold it and soon he was pretending to shoot things as if he were a human child with a toy gun. Then he heard a bird let out a warning call.

He felt as though something or someone was watching him from the trees. Koba scanned the canopy but didn't find any sign someone was up there. Deciding his fun was over, he buried the gun back into the Earth. This time he marked the tree it was under with his family's symbol. He wanted to remember where it was for future use.

Though he hoped he'd never have to use it.

* * *

Ajay waited patiently in the trees for Koba to leave. He then climbed down to where the adult bonobo had buried the human weapon. The young orang had heard stories of what these weapons could do. He knew they were loud so he refrained from pulling the trigger to prevent the old ape from coming back.

He had seen Koba bury the two dead humans. Ajay _knew_ Koba and Nina had lied about the latter's 'accident.' Then he saw Koba dig up this gun and play around with it. He had laughed at the bonobos childish behavior and that's what caught the adult's attention. _Stupid bird._

Now he had something to take Nina out with.

But he wasn't going to kill her. No, that would have too many repercussions he didn't want to deal with. Instead he opted to do what most children his age would do; snitch. He was going to tell Caesar that the two had lied and hidden a weapon from their great leader.

He hoped it'd be enough to kick Nina out of the colony.

* * *

Cornelia was annoyed and that was putting it mildly. She didn't realize that her husband was dead serious on preventing Blue Eyes from taking Nina as his mate until this morning when he declared he'd start setting their son up with female apes his age. So the Ape Queen had decided to get the help of two of her mate's closest advisors. She had summoned Koba as well as Maurice to her home to discuss Caesar's decision.

She hoped the two would be willing to convince Caesar to change his mind. It would be difficult as the Ape King was almost, _almost_ as stubborn as Cornelia herself. But she knew he'd see reason and reconsider. After all, if he really cared for his son's happiness, he'd let Blue Eyes be with her.

Hoots coming from the entrance caught her attention. Standing at the threshold were the two apes she called for. Cornelia gestured for them to take a seat, wherever they wanted in her and Caesar's home. Koba chose to sit in front of Cornelia as she sat on her bed. He bowed his head in respect as did Maurice who took a seat up in the perch above the entrance. The chimpanzee didn't mind since she knew orangutans were at home in the trees, above ground.

"Sorry for interrupting your activities." She spoke in a soft, apologetic voice. Her tone then became more serious. "Need to talk about my son and Caesar."

" _It is alright. I had just ended my class so this was a nice change to my rather tedious routine."_ Maurice signed.

Cornelia gave the orangutan a grateful smile. Koba grunted for her to continue and so she did. " _What am I about to tell you must not be made public. It is up to my son and Nina to decide when they want to make it known."_

Maurice tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"Means that Blue Eyes and Nina together." He waggled his brow meaningfully as he hooted in amusement. Maurice made an 'oh' expression.

"Koba right." Cornelia said, surprised that the bonobo already knew." _But Caesar has forbade it. I am asking you two to convince him to change his mind. Blue Eyes and Caesar already have a rather strained relationship that was just starting to fix itself up. Since Caesar made this decision, I fear my home, my family will be divided. That cannot happen."_ She rubbed her belly, " _Especially since my family is growing."_

" _I will help."_

"So will I." Koba said, offering a supplicating palm to his queen and so did Maurice. Cornelia swiped both simultaneously.

"Thank you, my friends." Cornelia was grateful that they were willing to help. She was also surprised that Koba was supporting a human/ape relationship. He had changed since Nina's arrival. She was happy for him. He was finally at peace with himself, something he desperately needed especially at his age. The Ape Queen already knew Maurice would agree to help. The wise orangutan was always willing to help a fellow ape.

"You may go now." She smiled and bowed her head slightly, a sign that they had her permission to leave and so they did.

* * *

A month had passed since Koba and I encountered the two men in the forest. We still hadn't told a soul what had really happened that day and we don't plan to any time soon.

My wound has healed pretty well though it did get infected. Koba took some apes into the city to loot pharmacies of any antibiotics they had left. They only found one bottle but it was enough to cure the infection. They did find many other medications but neither of us knew what they were for. I suggested we look for a book on pharmaceuticals and that's what we were currently doing.

Blue Eyes, Koba, Ash, and Luca to be exact Us five were sent by Caesar not only to look for the book, but to also find any items that will help the apes survive the coming winter. We found plenty of coal in a Lowe's to keep fires going which was good. We also found some tools for gardening. Something the apes wanted to get better at.

Luca called us to the back of the store. What we found was a small group of gibbons whom were up in the beams supporting the ceiling. They were apes as well so the gorilla tried to see if they were wild or intelligent.

"Can you speak?" He asked in his deep voice. One of them, a light-brown female, climbed low enough to jump onto the back of the larger ape. Luca was startled by the sudden invasion of personal space but he didn't tell her off.

Then she spoke. "Yes."

Her voice sounded like a young girl's. We asked if she knew sign to which she said she didn't. No one in her group did.

"Okay then. How long have been living here?" Blue Eyes suddenly asked.

She scratched her head. "Don't know. Long time. Came here after set free from zoo."

I looked at her then at her group trying to figure out what species they were. It didn't take long. They were Lar Gibbons.

Blue Eyes grunted. "We have home in forest. Many apes. Apes like you there too. Want to come with us?"

He was right. There were gibbons back at the colony though they were rare and very shy. They didn't interact much with any of the other ape species. It would be nice to increase their numbers. Plus these gibbons didn't seem to be very shy, especially this female.

"What is your name?" I asked. She jumped of the silverback to climb onto me.

"Lisa." She answered. Then started to pull my ears.

"Hey! Stop that!" I shrugged her off. Lisa screeched as she climbed back up to her group. They huddled close to each other as they communicated in hushed whispers.

All ten of them climbed down, using Luca as their mode of transportation.

"We will come. Gorilla will be ride." Lisa accepted the Prince's offer. We laughed at Luca's annoyed expression.

Once we collected what we needed, we headed back to our horses. Blue Eyes helped me onto his since I had to use a cane to walk. My leg wasn't completely out of the woods yet.

BoJack still hadn't come home.

Before we started moving, Koba asked Lisa if they had seen any humans recently.

"Yes. We have." She answered the bonobo who's eyes widened in horror. "Today." She pointed at me. Koba frowned. He didn't like smartasses.

It took us half an hour to get back to the Ape Village. We were immediately greeted by the apes who were happy to see new faces joining them. Lisa and her group looked around in awe at what the apes here have built. Caesar soon appeared on his rock and called upon the newest arrivals to join him. They did so, slowly and cautiously, as seen in their movements.

They had a quick rundown of what was expected of them as members of his kingdom. He then instructed Koba to take them to their new homes. Caesar then turned his attention to me. "Meet me at my home at sunset. We need to talk." I watched him walk up his spiral staircase then I gave Blue Eyes who was standing next to me a questioning look. He looked worried and offered to come with me. I declined, Caesar seemed like he wanted to speak to me in private.

I just hoped it wouldn't be bad. _What if he knows Koba and I lied?_

 _ **Finished this sooner than expected. Hope you enjoyed!**_

 _ **In the novelization of DotPotA, gibbons are mentioned. They are apes, despite their size. They are also the cutest apes, in my opinion. x)**_

 _ **I hope they actually make an appearance in the next movie. If not, well they'll be in this story lol.**_


	16. Chapter 16: All Falls Down

_**Okay, so that rock boulder thing with Caesar's symbol on it shall be called Throne now. It just makes it easier for me when I write it in. xD**_

 _ **So have fun reading this chapter! x)**_

Caesar waited for Nina to arrive. It was already nearing sunset and he hoped she was on her way. He didn't want her to put too much strain on her injured leg. Sparrow would no doubt berate him if the young human did.

A knock caught his attention. Nina stood at the entrance with the cane the an ape made for her. He walked to her, leading her to the seat on the opposite side of his ape-made chessboard. Once they were both seated he took in a deep breath. He noticed Nina looked scared. _Why would she be?_ The chimpanzee pondered.

" _Do not worry. You are not in trouble."_ He assured her, " _After much convincing by Cornelia and two of my closest advisors, Maurice and Koba… I have decided to allow you and my son to become mates."_

He smiled at her elated face. "Really?"

Caesar nodded. " _One of the reasons I did not want the two of you together… was because you'd become a member of the Ape Council."_

He shook his head, frustration evident in his features. "Are still apes who want you to leave. Was worried what they would do if you became Ape Council member."

The ape continued in sign. " _Now I realize this is a good way to get them to understand that you aren't going anywhere. That you are ape now. You are a part of our people. Our family."_

"Accept my decision?" He finally asked.

She seemed saddened by what she was going to tell him. "Caesar, with all due respect, I cannot be a member of the Ape Council." Nina avoided eye contact.

"Why?"

"Because…," She looked up, meeting his gaze. He could see guilt and worry in her eyes. Caesar felt his stomach knot as he waited for her to tell him why. "... we lied."

He raised his brow, obviously confused. "Lied about what?"

" _About my accident. This…"_ She pointed to her healing wound. "... _was caused by a human. Koba killed him. There was another human who was going to shoot Koba. I killed that man."_

Caesar's eyes widened in shock. There were more humans? This was bad. He needed Koba's side of the story as well. "Stay here. Going to get Koba."

The Ape King wanted to run to Koba's home as he considered this an emergency. But he couldn't. It'd worry the apes to see their leader in such a hurry. They'd no doubt think something was amiss and he didn't want to have to lie to his fellow apes.

He entered Koba's home and soon found the bonobo lying on his bed as Ari played with the twins on the floor. Caesar felt bad for having to ruin his friend's moment of rest but he knew Koba wouldn't mind.

"Koba. Come." He ordered. Koba didn't hesitate to follow the chimp to Home Tree. As they walked up the staircase together, Koba asked why Caesar wanted him here.

"Nina told me what happened."

Caesar swore he heard the bonobo gulp.

* * *

Koba felt guilty for not telling Caesar the truth sooner. He was going to find out sooner or later, the bonobo just hoped it would be waaayy later. Once they reached his room, the interrogation began.

"Where did humans come from?" Caesar asked. They both said they didn't know. Koba didn't like how stressed their leader was by this news. _This is why we wanted to keep secret._

" _They just surprised us after we just finished my climbing lessons. The man that shot me with the arrow said that his people had been killed and he wanted me to take him to my camp."_ Nina explained. Caesar the started to pace the room as he processed what the teenager had just told him. Koba stood there awkwardly, feeling as though he should be worried. He figured there was no need to be worried since those humans had been dealt with. He doubted they had people who would come looking for them. They seemed to have been living on their own for quite a while.

"From now on, no apes leave alone. Could be more out there…" Koba followed the chimp's gaze. He was staring off into the distant city. A city full of pain and imprisonment. To Koba, the city looked better without the lights. It looked natural, well as natural as a human city can look.

The darkness meant that human civilization was gone. So why was Caesar afraid? Any humans left would be weak enough for the apes to take out. They were nothing without their lights and guns.

 _A real leader should be fearless._ Koba mentally scolded himself for that practically blasphemous thought. Caesar was a real leader. He was a true king.

"Wait… you're not mad at us?" Nina suddenly asked. She looked surprised.

Caesar shook his head, sighing. " _No point. Just wish you would've told me sooner. Never lie to me again. Promise?"_

"I promise." Koba watched as Nina got onto her knees, offering her palm to the ape who swiped it. He then looked at the scarred bonobo. Koba knew Caesar well enough to know he was asking him to promise Caesar absolute honesty from now on. He grunted and nodded to his king as he offered his own palm, Caesar swiped it as well.

" _Anything else I should know?"_

Koba and Nina looked at each other, then the latter told the Ape King about the gun they buried. Caesar said they would destroy it in the morning, he then told the two 'goodnight.'

As the ape and human walked down the spiral stairs, Koba asked her what else Caesar had talked to her about. He wanted to know why she told him about the two men.

" _He said I could marry Blue Eyes but I'll also have to become a member of the Ape Council. I couldn't accept his offer because of the lie we told. It felt wrong. So I confessed."_ Nina explained. Koba read her signs intently, surprised that she turned down the offer to be on the council. Sure she was young, but she was human. It would be wise to have a human in the council. She could deal with human affairs since she knew how they behaved, how they thought.

"So not marry prince?" Koba asked, smirking at the teen.

Nina blushed as she signed, " _I said no to Ape Council. Not to being with Blue Eyes."_

Koba pant-hooted, playfully shoving her. She shoved him back and the two laughed as they walked to Koba's home. Nina carried the sleepy children to their hollow. The two bonobos watched from the entrance as Nina walked home, the twins in her arms, and Charlie following, sleepily behind her.

This what life was all about. _Family._

Koba loved his family. A family he thought he'd never have. He couldn't thank Caesar enough for setting all the apes free. Koba would have never seen the moon, seen the stars, experienced peace, family, _love_ and just plain _freedom,_ if it wasn't because of Caesar. None of the apes would have experienced what they can experience now.

 _Peace. Family. Love._ Yes, those were all part of the Ape Colony. Here there was no pain, no cages, and no torture. This was as close to a utopia as any civilization would get.

"I'm pregnant." Ari suddenly blurted out. Koba was pulled out of his thoughts by his wife's news. He hugged her close to his chest. His family was growing now.

He had everything he could ever want. _A home, a family, a future._

The warrior wouldn't let _anything_ take that away.

* * *

After breakfast the next morning, Koba, Caesar and I went to the location where the hunting rifle was buried. As we entered the area, Koba and I gave each other a concerned look as we both sensed something was wrong. Koba got off of Mary, who was no longer pregnant (miscarriage), then he helped me off her. Caesar followed us as we led him to the tree the rifle was under.

To our horror, there was only an open hole where the gun should have been. We could tell that it was left like that for a while so whoever took the gun must've taken it soon after it was buried.

"Buried it right here. Where is it?" Koba frowned at the empty hole. I could tell he was clenching his teeth in anger. I think he thought a human took it.

"Someone took it." Caesar said what Koba and I already knew but were afraid to acknowledge by saying it out loud. The Ape King walked up to the tree, gently touching Koba's faded symbol on the trunk as if it would tell him who took the weapon.

"Ape took it." Koba stated. Both Caesar and I looked at him, giving the bonobo questioning looks. _How would an ape know where it was buried?_ I thought.

Caesar was about to sign something disputing Koba's claim but the scarred ape signed first; " _When came out here to bury… humans, I dug up the gun to study it. Soon felt like something was watching in the trees. Checked but no one was there. Buried again then left. Ape must've been hiding in the trees."_

Caesar sighed, rubbing the back of his neck stressfully. "Must find ape who has gun."

Koba told Caesar that he'd assemble a team to search through every apes home for the rifle. I thought that would be a bad idea as it would scare the apes if they knew there were more humans out there. Panicked apes were hard to control.

Caesar thought the search party was a bad idea as well as he signed, " _No. Cannot scare apes with knowledge that humans are still armed and alive. I think… we should not worry. Gun is in the hands of ape. Ape not kill ape."_

"But I'm not an ape." I told him. Whoever took it must've taken it for a reason. What if they took it to kill me?

"None will hurt you. I protect you. Part of family." Koba tried to assure me. Sadly, it didn't work. I started to pace around nervously. My nails were being chewed off in seconds. I was terrified.

The chimpanzee grabbed my arm, putting my gaze on him. "Do not be afraid. You. Are. Ape. I will make sure that is known."

"How?"

He smiled. " _By making you part of Ape Council and part of my family."_

"You sure that'll work?" I asked, doubting that'd make any difference. Hell, maybe it'd encourage the gun-wielding ape to kill me sooner.

"Yes." Caesar answered, confidently. _Now I know where Blue Eyes gets his cockiness from._

"Okay."

"Head home?" Koba asked. Caesar let go of my arm and gave an affirming nod to my mentor's question. He then got onto his horse as did Koba and me.

As we headed to the Ape Village, I hoped Caesar's plan would work. Otherwise, Hunter and Hope would lose another mother.

* * *

Caesar and his son were playing a game of chess that afternoon. Blue Eyes was enjoying time with his father that wasn't used to teach him how to run the colony. The prince grew tired of such activities and it was a relief when his father had told him they would play chess today instead.

Blue Eyes had just won the game when his mother walked into the room. She gave him a hug before signing. " _Congratulations!"_

The teenager frowned. Winning a chess match wasn't a big deal. He's beaten his father many times in the past. Was his mother mocking him?

Cornelia looked at Caesar questioningly. " _Didn't tell him?"_

" _Tell me what?"_ Blue Eyes asked, irritated that his parents were keeping something from him. Cornelia walked to Caesar's side, resting her head on his shoulder. Caesar leaned into her then pulled away to tell his son the news.

" _I have changed my mind. You are now betrothed to Nina."_ The Ape Prince was stunned. What had changed his mind? Then he noticed the smug look on his mother's face. _She must've convinced him._ He thought gratefully.

"Really? Not joking?" He asked, still in denial. This felt like a dream. It sure didn't feel real.

"Not joking," Caesar spoke. "Go tell friends. I will tell all apes at night."

Blue Eyes ran to Adara's house where he knew Ash was at. He hooted, then waited outside for the two to come outside. Adara was the first to exit.

Her brow rose as she noticed the giddy chimpanzee standing in front of her. " _Why so excited?"_

Blue Eyes knew Adara had never seen him so energized before. He was practically bouncing. The male quickly calmed himself enough to sign, " _Father says I can be with Nina."_

Her eyes widened, surprised but then delighted by the news. She called Ash.

Ash stood by Adara's side and smiled happily once he noticed his best friend. " _Hey, why you so hyped?"_

"Nina and Blue Eyes betrothed." The female informed her future mate. Just then, Grey pushed past his daughter and future son-in-law. The adult ape sized up Blue Eyes as he angrily said: "Caesar lets son marry human! Offend female apes! You should marry female ape! Ape stronger than human! Bring shame on apes!" The prince and Adara's father were so close they could feel each other's breath hit their faces. Grey was breathing heavily and so was Blue Eyes. The Ape Prince had his fists clenched as he tried to control his anger. How dare Grey disrespect him like that? Disrespect his father? His family?! Nina?!

Adara stepped in before things escalated. "Father… stop." Grey finally relented and then left altogether. Adara apologized to the prince for her father's behavior. Blue Eyes said it was alright as he stared in the direction Grey ran off to.

Ash tried to lighten the mood. "Well that escalated quickly…"

Blue Eyes didn't reply. Ash nudged his shoulder. Once his eyes were on the ashy chimp he signed. " _Cheer up, brother. Grey will calm down and apologize."_

He shook his head. " _Doesn't matter. More apes will be angry like him. Won't accept Nina and me."_

The dark-furred teen then left. He ran into the forest to think. Once he found a nice branch to perch himself on, he began to think hard about taking Nina as his mate. He was full of doubt and worry. What if an ape decided to hurt Nina? What if apes lost respect for his father because he was allowing their union?

He sure as hell didn't want his father to lose leadership because of his feelings for a human girl.

What if Nina couldn't give him a child? Blue Eyes knew he wanted children and he didn't want to have to mate an ape female in order to get one. He wanted to be loyal to Nina. He sighed, thinking he'd never have that son he would name Jonas if he stayed with her.

But did he really want to end what they just started for that reason?

The conflicted ape started to question if he loved her or if he was even falling in love with her. He didn't know. All he knew was that he felt something for her. Something he had never felt before for anyone. It gave him strength yet made him feel vulnerable.

 _Is love?_ He thought. Blue Eyes loved his family, his friends but that love didn't feel anything like _this._

This was different.

* * *

Maurice quietly walked through the forest with Charlie by his side. Nina needed someone to take her dog out for a walk in the forest ever since she injured her leg. The orangutan was happy to help her plus he quite enjoyed the dog's company.

The dog was obviously no longer a puppy as Nina used to call him. His once floppy ears were now starting to point upward and his fur had thickened and grown over the past few months as well. Sure he still acted like a puppy, but physically he wasn't.

Charlie didn't have a fully black coat anymore as well. He now had a white splotch forming on his chest. His paws were starting to become white too. Maurice found it strange how a dog's fur color could change as they aged… then again the same thing happened to apes when they got older. Caesar's face fur has been graying over the years much to the king's dismay. Luckily, the orangutan kept his red fur despite his age.

Suddenly, the canine ran up to a tree barking like crazy. Maurice looked up the tree and saw his nephew resting on a branch. The prince noticed them as well and decided to jump to a different tree. Charlie barked up the new tree the chimp was in causing the ape to move to a different tree.

They kept this game up for a few more minutes until all three parties became tired. Blue Eyes climbed down to properly greet the ape and dog duo.

" _Hello, Uncle Maurice."_ He signed then patted Charlie's head. The dog seemed ecstatic that he got the ape to leave the trees.

"Hello." The elder greeted back. " _Why out here alone?"_

Blue Eyes said that he needed a quiet place to think. Maurice was wise enough to know that the young ape was troubled. " _What's wrong?"_

The Ape Prince sighed deeply. "Am worried."

" _About what?"_

"About Nina and I." Blue Eyes kept his head low. Maurice could tell he wanted to cry.

He put his hand on the young ape's chin, lifting his head up. The elder said, "Why worry? Should be happy."

Blue Eyes grunted unhappily. " _Grey got angry about me marrying a human. Made me think about all the other apes that would be angry too. I also worry that Nina and I can't have family. I want a family with her…"_ His hands fell to his sides limply. Maurice took a minute to formulate a response.

" _Does not matter what apes think now. Matters what they think years after you two married. You are bringing apes and humans together. Forging a peace. This is history."_ The orangutan paused to think of the right word. " _Progress."_

The adult could see the hope spark in the teen's eyes so he continued: " _Doesn't matter if you two cannot have children naturally. Can still adopt. There are babies… who lost mother and father… you and Nina can adopt them. Still have a family that way. Plus Hope and Hunter will become your children."_ He smiled at the prince. Blue Eyes seemed happy about that.

"Thank… you." He spoke tearfully. This time those tears were of joy. The chimpanzee and orangutan brought their foreheads together. _Apes. Together. Strong._ Maurice thought.

Yes, they were stronger together. Maybe apes and humans together were also strong… possibly even stronger than either species could be on their own.

Once they pulled away, Maurice hooted; amused by what he was going to tell the prince. "Must help groom Charlie before Caesar announcement."

Blue Eyes frowned but agreed. After all, Maurice did give him some well needed wisdom to clear his conflicted mind.

 _Blue Eyes more like his father than he thinks._

* * *

Koba was reading a medical textbook when Grey barged into his home. Grey immediately found him on his bed and asked if he had heard the news on Nina and Blue Eyes.

" _I have."_ He signed indifferently to let his friend know that he didn't care that the Ape Prince was betrothed to a human.

Grey grunts, disbelief evident on his face as he signs. " _And you're okay with this?"_

Koba nodded. Grey then walked closer to the scarred bonobo and snorted. " _You have changed since that human came here. Lost hate for humans that made you strong."_ He growled out: "Koba weak now."

Koba jumped off of his bed to snarl in Grey's face. "Koba not weak. You are." He shoved the chimpanzee who stumbled back a bit, shocked that his friend had laid his hands on him.

Grey backed off, calming himself down a notch. " _Why don't you hate the human? She deserves our hate."_

"No." Koba spoke firmly. "Nina is good. Is ape in my eye."

Grey scoffed before he signed: " _Human is not ape! To think she is would be foolish. And letting her be with Blue Eyes would also be foolish! Weakening Caesar's bloodline!"_

Koba shook his head, saddened at how ignorant his friend was being all because of one young human. "Do not know how strong she is. Having her would strengthen Caesar's bloodline. She is _good_ , my friend."

Grey screamed in frustration as he stomped out of Koba's home.

The scarred bonobo let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding until now. He sat in his bed to process what had just happened. He knew Grey didn't like her but that didn't mean he had to be such... an asshole about it. Nina was part of his family Grey should at least tolerate her for Koba's sake. That's what friends are supposed to do. Wasn't he the chimp's friend?

He stepped out of his home, sighing as he watched the sun set. The ape realized Caesar would be announcing Blue Eyes' betrothal very soon.

Koba had a bad feeling about it. He started to regret convincing Caesar to change his mind. He worried that more apes like Grey would he infuriated by the news. What if they revolt against Caesar? No, that wouldn't happen. Caesar was their leader. No ape would go against him because he _freed_ them. They owed him their lives.

The one-eyed ape could only hope his fellow apes would tolerate the couple, after all, it was none of their business who Blue Eyes married.

An hour later, Caesar summoned the apes to the center of the village. He stood atop his Throne, Nina and Blue Eyes were behind him.

Koba climbed up to a high vantage point so he could find Ari in the crowd. His mate had been with the twins since late afternoon. She wanted Koba to have some time to read in peace.

He soon found her. The ape walked through the crowd, standing next to his mate. The twins were on her shoulders, trying to get a better look at the Ape King. Koba took her hand in his then looked to Caesar.

In the corner of his only good eye, he saw an orange mass sneak away from the crowd. He thought nothing if it, assuming the ape was just a child choosing to play instead of listening to Caesar.

Yet, a part of him told him to see what the kid was up to.

He ignored that part.

 _ **Yes, not 5,000 words like I hoped but it was close. At least it's longer than my average chapters lol. Anyways, hope you enjoyed. R &R! :D**_

 _ **Have a nice day/night!**_


	17. Chapter 17: Confessions

_**Enjoy!**_

I listened intently to Caesar speak to the apes. From where I stood, I could tell the ape was signing what he was saying. Blue Eyes was fidgeting, finding it hard to stand still as his nerves got the best of him, I assumed. I grabbed his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze with. The ape gave me a thankful smile that turned my insides into mush.

"In these months since Nina's arrival, Blue Eyes and her have formed a bond, a bond that has not occurred between ape and human before." He turned to us, giving Blue Eyes and I a proud smile. "I have decided to allow the two, to be betrothed. Will marry once they have proven themselves adults. She is now part of Ape Council."

The three of us waited for the apes response. Some seemed angry, others seemed like they didn't care and the rest seemed happy about it. In the crowd, I saw Koba and Ari smiling at me. I knew they were happy for the both of us. I gave them a smile of my own when I saw the twins excitedly jumping on the female bonobo's shoulders.

Caesar ushered Blue Eyes and I to stand in front of him. We both looked nervously at the apes in front of us, watching us as they waited for Caesar's next move. I felt like I was going to faint so I leaned into Blue Eyes to keep my balance up. He wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me up as well as making me feel secure. His father gestured for his son to let me go. He then instructed us to hold hands. The Ape King lifted our intertwined hands as a symbol to the apes of our future marriage.

Suddenly, a gunshot rippled through the chilly, night air. Blue Eyes shielded my body with his own unsure of what he just heard but instinctually knowing it was dangerous. I could tell he had never heard something that loud before. All heads looked to Caesar's tree, there in the trunk was a hole with smoke coming out of it. Whoever tried to shoot me had terrible aim.

At the back of the crowd, we heard a gorilla scream in anguish as well as anger. Soon, Harambe waded through the crowd. The rifle in one hand and Ajay, who was his adopted son, being held by the scruff of his neck in the other. The silverback placed Ajay onto the Throne then handed the gun to Caesar. The chimpanzee called Rocket over.

"Destroy." Caesar spoke. His voice sounded strained and disappointed. Ash's father quickly headed to a fire, throwing the mostly wooden weapon into the flames.

Harambe now stood on the Throne. He looked to Caesar then to Blue Eyes and I. I could tell the gorilla was extremely upset by his son's attempted assassination.

Everyone was dead silent as they too realized what Ajay tried to do.

The young orangutan finally looked at us. I noticed he looked ashamed and Caesar looked so shocked and unsure on what to do with the kid.

"What we do now?" Blue Eyes asked. Caesar gave his son a hard look, then ordered Harambe to escort Ajay to his home. I felt Blue Eyes tug my arm. I looked into his face and saw how scared he was about me nearly dying. I'd say he was more afraid than I was. "Come. Follow Harambe."

As we walked up the stairs of Home Tree, we could hear Caesar tell the apes about the encounter Koba and I had with those men. We heard him say how I got this injury and how Ajay had acquired the gun. "Ape cannot enter woods alone now. Too dangerous because don't know if more humans out there." He then told them to go rest in their homes. Many of the apes were making a ruckus as they wanted more answers. They soon realized that Caesar needed to speak with the shooter so they relented, heading to their homes.

Once we entered Caesar's room, we found Cornelia sitting on the bed. She gestured for us to sit with her and so we did as we waited for Caesar to join us. Blue Eyes watched Harambe sign angrily at Ajay in the corner of the room. Then the chimpanzee bared his fangs.

"Blue Eyes, calm down." I told him, steadily. He looked into my eyes to sign: " _He tried to kill you."_

"I know. But he failed. Let's be grateful no one got hurt." He calmed down, looking away from me. I guessed he was ashamed at his anger. Caesar emphasized control and I knew Blue Eyes felt like he failed at that.

Caesar arrived with Koba and Maurice at his sides. The Ape King's expression hardened as he looked at Ajay.

I pitied the young ape even though he tried to kill me.

* * *

Koba waited for Caesar to punish Ajay for trying to kill a fellow ape. The youngster had nearly broken the apes' most sacred law. A law Caesar created and preached. The orangutan had the audacity to disobey his King.

Unfortunately, Caesar did not punish the young ape. Instead, he ordered that Ajay not be allowed to leave the village at all and that he'd be accompanied by an adult ape whenever he wandered around in the colony.

" _It is up to you, his father, to decide his punishment."_ Caesar signed to the silverback. He then dismissed the two. Ajay clung onto the gorilla's back as he walked them out of the king's home.

As soon as they were out of earshot Koba angrily spoke: "Not punishing him? Tried to kill Nina!"

Caesar shook his head, clearly not wanting to deal with Koba's anger at the moment. " _What am I supposed to do? Banish him? Just a child; he cannot live on his own. Cannot cage him. I will not do what humans had done to apes."_

Koba frowned. As far as he was concerned, Ajay had lost his ape rights when he decided to kill one of the bonobo's family members. " _So no repercussions? Might as well give Ajay another gun so he can try again!"_ He signed as he let out angry grunts.

Caesar narrowed his eyes after Koba finished his outburst. He looked passed Caesar at Nina, who was still sitting in between Blue Eyes and Cornelia, to see if she would back him up. To his surprise, she shook her head as a signal for him to let it go. Koba then redirected his gaze to Caesar as he apologized for his behavior.

After a few seconds, Caesar accepted his apology. Koba then offered to take Nina home. The chimpanzee shook his head. " _Blue Eyes will take her."_

Koba walked out on all fours. He headed in the direction where Harambe and his family lived.

The bonobo wanted to have a word with the gorilla's adopted wayward son.

* * *

"Come, son!" Harambe bellowed. Ajay merely huffed from his room. He knew the gorilla couldn't reach him so he waited for him to give up and leave. Unfortunately, the silverback wasn't one to give up easily. "Ajay. Listen to me. Am your father. Come _now."_

Ajay peaked his head out of the entrance to look down at Harambe as he said; "Not. My. Father." The gorilla's eyes widened in shock, the orang could see that his words hurt him but he was too angry to take them back. Ajay went back inside. He knew Harambe would leave now.

After about fifteen minutes of sulking in his home, he heard a thump. He growled, assuming it was Aldo. "Said want to be left alone!"

He turned around to see a figure looking at him. The moonlight lit the ape's face, showing the milky eye with a scar running down it. _Koba_ , Ajay thought as he gulped fearfully. Koba menacingly approached him, teeth bared in a predatory snarl. As he inched closer, Ajay would move farther back into his dwelling until there was no where left to go. He was cornered.

"I sorry!" He said frantically as he hid his face using his arms.

"Sorry does _not_ change fact you tried to kill Nina!" Koba yelled ae he reached a hand out, grabbing the child's throat. Ajay let out a startled squeak, placing his hands on the older ape's wrist in an attempt to pry the angry bonobo off.

"Please, don't hurt. Wasn't me!" Ajay pleaded, fearing for his life. He saw the hate in the ape's eye, a hate he didn't think an ape could have for another ape. It terrified the young male. Koba wouldn't kill him would he? _Ape not kill ape._ Yes, Koba was a close friend of Caesar. A follower. He would not break their most sacred law.

Koba's snarl faltered as he registered the orangutan's words. He loosened his grip on his throat. "What do you mean?" Ajay saw the the murderous fire leave the older ape's eye, yet he seemed to long for it to return. He gestured for Koba to let go before he would answer his question.

Ajay gasped for air when the bonobo released him, dropping him on the floor with a loud thud. " _Left to get gun, to give to Caesar. An ape found me, took gun to kill her. Framed me._ " Koba scowled at the youngster's signs.

"Who is ape?" The bonobo demanded. Ajay shook his head, refusing to answer the elder. He couldn't tell him who it was. The chimpanzee had threatened to kill him if he said anything. Ajay had already said too much and would not say more. He especially didn't want to give a name. Koba wasn't happy with Ajay's refusal.

He grabbed the young male's throat again, this time applying more pressure. Ajay shrieked in fear but was only rewarded with less air as Koba tried to silence him. He glared into the youngster's eyes as he growled a warning. "Koba does not believe. Ajay wanted to kill Nina. Now will pay price." He started to squeeze harder and soon Ajay was seeing stars as his head felt like it was going to explode. Suddenly and fortunately, Koba released him. "Stay away from my family." And with that, the bonobo left, leaving Ajay gasping for precious oxygen as he rubbed his throat, trying to ease the pain.

Then tears began to stream down his face, wetting his red-orange fur. He couldn't tell anyone what had happened with the chimpanzee and Koba. They all believed he had tried to kill Nina. No one would believe Ajay, the gun wielding ape. To them, he was a killer or at least would've been if he hadn't missed the human. They would think he was lying if he told them Koba had hurt him. The bonobo was loyal to the apes, to Caesar, so they have no reason to believe Koba would hurt an ape.

Ajay felt alone.

He was alone. He'd always been alone the moment he lost his mother. His adoptive family didn't love him; they only ever pitied him.

He had no one.

* * *

The night was restless. Koba could not sleep. He stared at the ceiling, seeing the moonlight shine through the twigs and mud that made his home, that kept it together. It had been a couple of hours since he had warned and _harmed_ Ajay. The scarred ape was terrified of his actions and wanted to apologize to Ajay but he knew he couldn't. The orangutan needed to fear him. It was the only way to keep Nina out of harm's way.

He turned his head to the side, looking at Ari's face. She was sound asleep next to him. The peaceful smile on his mate's face brought a smile upon his own.

Then, he frowned. What would she think of him if she found out what he did to Ajay? _She won't find out._ A voice told him. He agreed with it. No one would believe Ajay now. Koba knew the child's actions would have him shunned by the village so the bonobo had nothing to worry about.

A sickening feeling formed in his stomach as he recalled the fearful look Ajay had. Koba had liked- no- _relished_ in the ape's fear. It made Koba feel powerful. He was in control of the kid's fate. _**He**_ was in _control_ and wanted to be.

He wanted _power._

* * *

Blue Eyes woke up from a nightmare. He shivered at what he had dreamt. It felt too real. In his dream, Ajay had not missed the shot.

He remembered holding her in his arms as she bleed out from a hole in her heart, where the bullet had hit. His father gave him a look of disappointment, as if it was his fault for his female's death. The warm red liquid stained his hands and he remembered looking at them in horror. He woke up after that.

The chimpanzee knew he wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep. His mind was full of worry. He needed to see her. He needed to know that his dream wasn't a memory. The Ape Prince needed to know she was still alive.

And so he headed to her dwelling.

As winter neared, the young ape had been doubting himself; doubting his ability to be a great leader, doubting his hunting skills, and most recently, doubting his ability to be a good mate to Nina. It pained him to think he was no good for her.

What if she was only with him because there were no human males around anymore? He feared that if she were to meet a teenage boy, she'd leave.

He threw that thought away. Nina wouldn't do that. She had a family here. Her children were apes, she wouldn't abandon them for some human male.

He quietly entered her home, being careful not to make any noise. Charlie raised his head at the intruder, but soon rested it once he realized the ape was no threat.

"Blue?" A groggy voice whispered. He could faintly make out Nina rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes.

"Didn't mean to wake you. Sorry."

He approached her then asked permission if he could sleep with her tonight. "Had a nightmare." The chimp explained. Nina nodded her head, as she made room for him to lie down.

They laid there in silence for some time until Nina suddenly asked: "Why do you want to marry me?"

Blue Eyes was taken aback by that question. Why did he want to marry her? Oh he knew. He just didn't know how to word it or sign it for that matter. He flipped his body over, now lying face-to-face with the human female.

"Because," He started before slowly signing. " _You are my best friend. I can be myself around you. You don't see me as Caesar's son. See me for me: Blue Eyes. I can be who I am around you._

" _You…"_ He paused before continuing, "complete me." Blue Eyes now stared at her blank expression, he worried that what he said wasn't a sufficient enough answer so he decided to tell her more.

" _Before you arrived, my only friend was Ash. Didn't have other friends because apes my age are intimidated by me, because am prince. I felt alone most of the time, especially after Ash met Adara. He chose to stalk her rather than hang out with me."_ He chuckled.

" _Soon after, Ash started going on hunting trips with his father. It irritated me because my father wouldn't take me too. So I became bitter the lonelier I felt. Eventually, Koba and I spent more time together. He told me stories of your kind. Bad ones. And so I too grew to dislike humans."_

He smiled, sighing contentedly as he looked into Nina's eyes. " _Then you arrived. At first I'd thought you were going to be ugly monster. But when I first met you, I saw someone beautiful. It scared the crap out of me. Confused me too."_ Nina frowned but laughed lightly at that last bit.

"Nina," He spoke, his voice hoarse yet youthful, "Love many things about you. Love your smile, face, laugh. Everything."

" _But above all, I love_ _ **you**_." He declared at last.

Nina pulled him into a tight hug, then kissed him with as much passion as she could muster. Blue Eyes was dumbfounded by the sudden physical show of affection. They'd never kissed or hugged like _that_ before.

"I love you too." She said with a smile. Blue Eyes could make out a tear flow down her cheek. He wiped it away then kissed her.

They slept peacefully the rest of the night. Both looked forward to their future together.

 _ **Sorry for the long wait. Writer's block sucks. Anyways, next chapter will take place in winter and once winter's over the events of Dawn shall take hold.**_

 _ **Next chapter shouldn't take too long to be up. I can't make any promises though.**_

 _ **R &R!**_


	18. Chapter 18: Ships in the Night

_**Sorry for the long wait. It took me awhile to get my mojo back for this story.**_

 _ **Oh and I had the concept of apes in snow in my head for awhile now, so you bet I was surprised and ecstatic to see what weather the next movie would have. C:**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

This winter had been unnaturally brutal. Temperatures reached thirty degrees fahrenheit during the day and even lower at night. The apes had to constantly maintain the fires in the village as they were the only source of warmth they had.

Caesar was extremely stressed out about it. No winter had been this bad before. So why was it occurring out of the blue? The bitter cold caused the elk herds to travel further south, forcing Caesar and his hunting parties to travel farther and farther each time they went on the hunt.

The King didn't want to expose his people to the elements but knew it was necessary if they were to feed the apes. Many of them complained that they couldn't feel their hands and feet; some had even lost a frostbitten toe or two.

And so his hunting parties became smaller and smaller as the weather got worse. The apes just didn't want to expose themselves to the elements.

It worried Caesar. If they couldn't bring back enough elk, apes would start starving. The chimpanzee hoped the weather would soon start to warm up. He didn't want things to go back to the way they were ten winters ago; when apes died of starvation on a daily basis.

The gorillas and orangutans were taking this lack of food the hardest. They couldn't ingest meat and the edible berries and nuts had frozen to death. Caesar knew they could eat insects but unfortunately no insects were currently around. The gibbons were doing just fine. Omnivorous by nature, they'd eat almost anything. They've even started to take roles in the colony, many of them were becoming Healers.

The only human in the village, Nina, hasn't left her home in quite some time. Caesar knew why. The human didn't have the proper clothing for this weather and so she stayed home to keep herself away from hypothermia.

Blue Eyes wasn't happy about this since he couldn't see her as often now.

It was partially Caesar's fault as he would take the prince out to teach him how to run the colony. His son was more often than not, disinterested and even bored during his lessons. The King began to suspect that Blue Eyes didn't want to become the next leader. Caesar couldn't blame him, being Alpha was hard work so the father would accept his son's rejection of the title if he came to that decision.

The father just hoped his next child would want to take his place. If not, he may ask Ash to be the next leader.

He sighed at the thought then started to wonder what Will would think of the civilization his ape son built. Would he be proud of Caesar? The ape thought he would.

The chimp just wished Will was around to see what the apes created.

* * *

My teeth chattered as I curled up in my bed. Charlie was lying beside me, trying to keep both of us warm. The dog had a thick coat of fur so it did help keep me from freezing to death. Unfortunately, I still couldn't go outside. It was infuriating as I had nothing to do at home.

Maurice and the other orangutan teachers canceled school since it was unwise to have the children out in the cold. So Hope and Hunter were home with me.

They were full of energy which explained why they wouldn't stop running around our home. Charlie didn't want to play with them since he wanted to keep me warm. I sighed as I watched the two play with each other. They were growing up so fast, it made me feel a bittersweet pride for my kids. Soon they wouldn't need me around anymore. I wasn't worried though, I knew they'll grow up to be strong, independent adults.

Hopefully, I'd be able to have children with Blue Eyes. If not, I'm sure he would be okay with adoption.

A knock pulled me out of my thoughts. "Who is it?"

"Koba." I invited him in. He had something tucked under his arm.

"What that?" The twins, who stopped their game when Koba entered, asked unanimously. Koba only smiled warmly at Hope and Hunter. The ape gave the item to Hunter, gesturing for him to give it to me. My son jumped onto my bed, hooting curiously as he handed me the item. It was a pelt of some sort. I noticed that it was made of multiple animal hides which were stitched crudely together. The pelt was heavy but thick; a perfect coat for this weather. It even had a hood that was the head of a...

I set it down onto my bed once I realized what animal it was made out of; mountain lion. _Is this the one that tried to eat me?_

Koba seemed to know what I was thinking as he nodded when I looked at him in disbelief. "Been making that ever since I killed it. Didn't know why or who was making for. Now know it is for you."

"Gift for you, for cold." He added with a sheepish smile. Before I could thank him, confused hooting could be heard outside. The two of us walked out to witness flurries falling from the sky. _It snows here?_

Koba looked to me for an explanation. " _Humans call it snow. It's frozen water. Only comes down in winter."_

"Never snowed here before." He finished with huff. I watched him extend a hand out, snowflakes landing in his palm only to melt seconds after contact.

The other apes were watching the snowfall as if it were magic. I felt pity for them, knowing that most of them were locked away from the wonders of the world; unable to experience something as beautiful as snow or even the full moon. It made me appreciate the life I had, it was nowhere near as terrible as what some of these apes have been through.

The winds suddenly picked up, bringing with it heavier snowfall. It worried me. _What if a blizzard was coming?_ Koba seemed to have noticed my concerned expression as he asked me if I was alright.

"This is not natural weather for this area. We should tell Caesar to make sure all apes in village." I breathed deeply, trying to calm the bad feeling in my gut. " _I feel it's going to get worse."_

Koba nodded in understanding. "Get pelt on first. Too cold to be out without it."

Smiling at his caring advice, I proceeded to give him a quick hug as a thank you for his thoughtful gift. Some of the snow that built up on his fur rubbed off on me, melting instantly on my bare skin.

 _Great, now I'm cold and wet._ I shivered as Koba led me back into my home.

* * *

Cornelia anxiously ran in the direction of Koba's home. She needed his help.

Her son and Caesar had gotten into an argument about the former's demand to be allowed to attend today's hunting party. As expected, her mate had refused causing Blue Eyes to step out of line. The teenager ran out after signing that he would go hunting by himself to prove to his father that he was a capable hunter _and_ fighter.

Caesar didn't believe Blue Eyes would actually leave until Luca informed him an hour later that he spotted the prince sneaking out of the colony.

The pregnant queen was stuck in the village, unable to help her husband search for their son.

"Cornelia?" Nina questioned, concern in her tone. The female ape looked at her future daughter-in-law's face, then turned her gaze upon the bonobo standing next to the girl.

"Koba!" She panted out, still out of breath from running. " _Caesar. Blue Eyes. Out in forest. They've been gone too long. I am worried something has happened. Please, find my family."_

Koba gave an affirmative grunt. Before he could head out, Nina said: "I'm coming with you!"

"No." Cornelia ordered. The bonobo and human looked at her, both confused on why she didn't want Nina to help. After all, Blue Eyes was going to be her mate. " _Too dangerous. Do not want you out there, Nina. Koba can find them himself. Faster on his own too._ "

The girl sighed, obviously unhappy that she couldn't help look for her boyfriend and his father. "Alright. Be careful, Koba."

* * *

It was difficult to trek through the blizzard. _Nina was right._ Koba thought to himself, wishing he came out here more prepared for this storm.

Mary was getting nervous as she trudged through the piling snow, the bonobo sensed this and it worried him that she'd throw him off if she was spooked enough. He knows he wouldn't make it back to the village without his horse.

"Caesar! Blue Eyes!" He called out, pausing to listen for a response. It didn't matter if there was one because the howling wind would tune it out anyways. So Koba kept moving, as the minutes ticked by he grew more worried. If Caesar and Blue Eyes died out here, who would take their place?

Cornelia could but she was currently pregnant and wouldn't be able to lead hunts. She probably wouldn't even want to. The Royal couple's next child would need a few years to be old enough to be the next leader.

The ape shook his head, ridding himself of these ridiculous thoughts. Caesar was strong and so was his heir. The two would be fine.

Suddenly, Mary tripped on an unseen tree root. Koba fell off of her and the two rolled down the steep slope. The ape hit many tree trunks and got many cuts from other natural debris. He could only hope his horse wouldn't crush him on the way down.

It eventually stopped with the bonobo landing face first in the snow. Propping himself up with his elbows, the disoriented primate observed his surroundings. He noted he landed in a clearing. _Must be meadow in spring._

His first attempt at standing up caused pain to ripple throughout his body. The pain soon became bearable and so he finally stood up.

A few feet away from him lay Mary. The horse was as still as a rock. There was no rise and fall of her ribcage as she laid on her side, the snow starting to bury her body. Koba could only shake his head sadly as he started to climb a nearby tree. Now with no mode of transportation and no weapon, he figured he'd be safest in the trees.

The ape let out snort. _So much for saving Caesar and Blue Eyes._

He swung from branch to branch, using the firelight from the Ape Colony to lead him to safety. If he was going to find the missing chimps, he would need help. It was stupid of him to go out alone in the first place. Thanks to his mistake, his beloved horse was dead and the two chimpanzees would have to be out in this blizzard longer.

Upon entering the village, all heads turned to him. Some looked shocked, others expressions were full of relief. _Why would they be relieved? I did not bring back Caesar and his son._

Luca approached him. " _Caesar and Blue Eyes returned while you were out looking for them. Caesar hurt .They are at Home Tree."_ The gorilla sighed before adding, "Nina there too. Not happy."

Koba thanked his friend for the information then proceeded to Caesar's home. As he neared the entrance, he could hear the girl yelling out profanities. He chose to wait outside the entrance. The bonobo was afraid Nina would unleash her wrath on him as well.

* * *

"Why the fuck would you do that, Blue Eyes?!" The prince flinched at the human's harsh tone. Granted, he knew she had a right to be angry with him. However, Blue Eyes believed she needed to turn her rage down a notch.

" _Calm down! No one died!"_ The male quickly defended himself. He gulped when he saw the anger flare yet again in her honey colored eyes. They might as well have been the sun since they were currently burning through his soul.

Nina huffed incredulously, her voice softening like a mother trying to explain something to her daft child. "No one died? Need I remind you that **your** father fell into a **freezing** cold pond when he was looking for your stubborn, reckless ass?"

Blue Eyes raised his hands to sign, but Nina stopped him as she shouted: "YOUR DAD IS CURRENTLY LYING ON HIS BED WITH FOUR HEALERS TRYING TO WARM HIM UP! HE COULD GET VERY SICK BECAUSE OF THIS, UNDERSTAND?!" She took a deep breath, lowering her voice. "Your mother is worried sick and that isn't good for her or the baby."

Her shoulders sagged, the rage diminishing. Disappointment taking hold. The prince walked up to her, putting a reassuring hand on her lower back. He brought her into a hug as he apologized for his actions.

She pulled away. "Sorry does not fix the fact that you nearly got your father killed. **Your father.** I don't want you to apologize to me. Apologize to him. He won't be around forever. I'd give anything to have my father back. So start listening **and** appreciating yours for fuck's sake."

Blue Eyes narrowed his eyes at her, pushing her out of his arms as he quickly and angrily signed. " _Don't tell me what to do! I'm tired of everyone trying to control me! Just because your dad is dead doesn't mean everyone else has to adore and kiss the feet of their fathers!"_

For a second, he thought his signs were too quick for Nina to process but the hurt look on her face suggested otherwise.

Nina's expression went blank as she numbly mumbled she was going to look for Koba.

Blue Eyes was suddenly aware of his audience. The four healers tending to his father gave him solemn looks. His father peaked out from between two of them, his expression that of disapproval.

Cornelia came up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. She looked into his eyes as she slowly shook her head in disappointed.

She walked back to her husband, leaving Blue Eyes to regret what he'd done.

 _ **Trouble in paradise, huh? xD**_

 _ **Well I'll see you in the next chapter. Should be up in a week!**_

 _ **Again sorry for the long wait.**_


	19. Chapter 19: Tear in My Heart

_**Author's note at end of chapter.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

 **Spring, April 2026**

It was chilly today, the cool air leaving goosebumps on the parts of my skin that weren't covered by my cougar-pelt hoodie. Koba hooted quietly, getting my attention. He signed for me to keep up. It occurred to me that I was a few feet behind the group. The rest of the hunting party was in the trees. Blue Eyes was up there too; close to his father much to his dismay, I presumed. _This is his first hunt._ I remembered, noting as well that it's my second one.

Ash unexpectedly dropped down from above. The noise caused the rest of Koba's group (which consisted of Grey, Stone, and I) to turn around, glaring at the noisy teenage male. The young chimp panted, embarrassment obvious in his posture. " _Sorry. My father told me to join you."_ Koba frowned, then shrugged. My mentor started scanning the canopy, I guessed he was looking for Caesar. I decided to look as well and eventually found him. The king was perched on a thick, sturdy branch. Blue Eyes was right next to him.

The sight of the prince caused my stomach to clench with guilt and regret. We hadn't spoken since the night I yelled at him for his reckless act. I knew he felt sorry for saying what he said and I felt the same for him. Yet, neither of us have the balls to apologize to the other. It was immature, I knew it was. It's just- I don't know. I'm starting to have second thoughts about marrying him now. I get the feeling he's having similar thoughts…

Ash nudged my shoulder. It startled me enough to make me let out a soft squeak. My friend started to laugh at me. I playfully slapped his shoulder and laughed with him. Suddenly, Caesar started the hunt with a loud yell. Ash and I both tensed as we realised the elk would be stampeding in our direction. The ground thumped as the elk began to flee. I proceeded to grab an arrow from my quiver while taking a few steps back.

I began to pull the string back, arrow ready to pierce through an unfortunate elk's hide. Ash clenched his spear in his right hand, the rest of his limbs on the ground. The herd eventually reached us, Koba faced it head on. He shouted and hooted at the animals, causing them to spread out even more. It made it easier for us to pick them off that way.

A large stag ran straight at me. I aimed at the creature's throat. He made a pained sound before falling to the ground, an arrow now sticking out of his jugular. I mumbled a 'thank you' to the animal for giving the apes sustenance. It didn't take me long to down to more elk. The rest of the troop continued the hunt. My attention was focused on not getting trampled by the remaining members of the herd.

I thought I was doing a good job until Ash shoved me out of the way of a huge charging stag. The gray chimp was on top of me, panting heavily as he stood up. He offered me a hand up as he spoke, "Watch your surroundings."

I snorted, taking his hand. "Yeah that's what I was doing, but thank you." I gave him a grateful smile as he lifted me unto my feet. "So… errr.. where's Blue Eyes?" I avoided my friend's gaze.

"With Caesar, most likely." Just then, we heard the Ape King's cry for help in the distance. A mass of black ran past the two of us and I realized it was Koba. I didn't hesitate to follow the bonobo and neither did Ash.

* * *

Blue Eyes watched as his father yelled at the bear, his father stood taller as he puffed out his chest. It was a futile attempt to make himself appear larger. The Grizzly only towered over him, roaring in its primal rage. No doubt the beast was angry at having another predator in its territory.

The teenager backed up a bit, causing pain to course through his new wounds. He held a hand to the three claw marks on his right shoulder , panting and hooting quietly as he continued to watch his father's confrontation. _Foolish. So stupid._ Blue Eyes scolded himself. He would never admit it, but he wished he had listened to his father. Now the older chimpanzee was putting himself in danger to protect his careless, now injured son. It made him feel like a useless youngling again.

 _Why can't I do anything right?_ He thought, looking at the ground in shame and fear. As he looked back up, preparing to fight the bear with his father; Koba dropped from above. His harpoon went through the bear's shoulder blades, no doubt piercing its heart. It was enough to instantly make the animal fall forward, landing on Caesar then rolling onto its side. Koba had rolled off the creature, landing in front of the Ape Prince.

Blue Eyes' heart dropped. He should've moved his father out of the way! The King no doubt got crushed to death. The chimpanzee was taking too long to get out from under the bear. Even Koba worriedly chuffed.

Just when Blue Eyes was about to push off the animal, Caesar set himself free. He looked to Koba, chuckling nervously as he signed a grateful 'thank you' to the bonobo. Koba only nodded, looking at Blue Eyes before he through the teen's broken spear to his father.

The Prince hung his head low, avoiding his father's gaze as he awaited his lecture. Caesar walked up to him, placing his fingers gently in Blue Eyes' newly acquired wounds. This caused the younger ape to flinch back and look at his father, only to see disappointment etched in his expression.

" _Think before you act, son."_ Blue Eyes looked past his father to see the troop assembling, in the crowd Nina stood out like a sore thumb. The young chimp still felt guilty for what happened back in winter.

Caesar then attempted to touch his son's wounded cheek, but Blue Eyes angrily shoved his father's hand away, taking his spear back as he did so.

Blue Eyes avoided looking back at the crowd of apes as he walked back to his horse. He knew Nina was watching him. _If you only knew, I'd sacrifice my beating heart before I lose you. I'm so sorry._

It was a shame he didn't have the courage to tell the girl that.

* * *

The trek back to the village was quieter than usual. It made Ash uncomfortable. He hooted to Nina, who was walking next to him, in an attempt to get her attention. She looked up at him since he was on horseback. He offered her a ride, extending his hand to lift her up. Before she could refuse, he grabbed her by the hoodie and lifted her unto his stallion.

"I was fine with walking." The human whined but gave her friend a grateful smile.

The chimp snorted. "Too bad. Want to talk to you quietly." He paused, clearing his throat. "Want to talk about Blue Eyes."

Nina sighed. "What's there to talk about? We're broken."

"Then fix!" Ash whisper-yelled. He knew his two friends needed to get it together. The two hadn't talked in forever and it was irking the eldest teenager. He was tired of having to chose who to spend time with and when. Even Adara was getting annoyed.

"I can't." She replied with a shrug. Ash felt her shift, then he felt her rest her chin on his right shoulder. It didn't take him long to figure out that she was eyeing her prince, her rode in the front of the troop with Caesar.

"Why can't?" He slowed down his horse, letting other apes pass by them in order to lower the chances of an eavesdropping ape.

Nina sighed, removing her head from her friend's shoulder. "I don't know how. I'm not good at words."

Ash stopped his horse, craning his head to eye Nina from his peripheral vision. "You must try."

The girl frowned in response. _Uh oh._

"Why do I gotta be the one that tries? He started it!" She removed her arms from his waist, crossing them close to her chest. Her brow furrowed. Ash knew that look. She was conflicted. _She knows I'm right._

He got off of his horse. " _Look I know he was the one that screwed up but I know Blue Eyes. He rather beat himself up for something bad he did than try to fix it. So that means you have to initiate."_ Now it was his turn to frown and cross his arms. He added a pouty face for good measure.

Nina rolled her eyes. "Mirroring my body language isn't gonna get me to listen."

Ash facepalmed and groaned in frustration. " _Stop changing the subject. Take my advice and just do it! I'm going to take the trees back home. You return my horse to the stables and_ _ **talk**_ _to your prince."_ And with that, the ape left the human to her thoughts. Ash hoped he would get through to her.

* * *

Caesar sat next to Cornelia. Blue Eyes stood awkwardly in front of pair, staring at the newborn curled up close to the queen's breast. The King smiled fondly at the unsure look on his first born's face. Blue Eyes had slowly distanced himself from the after the newest member was born. The father wasn't sure why but he didn't think much of it. After all, the teenager had to now get used to the fact that he was no longer the only child and the only heir.

Caesar hooted, bringing his son out of his trance. The two made eye contact. " _Why not sit with us?"_

Shrugging, Blue Eyes responded. " _Don't want to disturb mother and baby."_ He took a few steps towards the exit. Caesar glanced at the claw marks on his son's chest and under his eye. He could tell they had scabbed over for the most part but blood and some other liquid still oozed out of them.

" _Very well then. Go get Sparrow to check your wounds. Be back before it gets dark."_ Blue Eyes was quick to obey. Caesar sighed as he wished his son was obedient when it was most needed.

Cornelia began to stir, turning Caesar's gaze away from the entrance and back to his queen and newborn son. She opened her loving eyes and smiled at him. It made Caesar's chest feel light and his heart beat faster. " _Go back to sleep. You need your rest."_

Cornelia attempted a snort but it only came out as a weak cough. " _Have plenty of time to rest. You should be the one resting. Especially after today."_ She looked around the room then furrowed her brow. " _Where's Blue Eyes?"_

"Went to see Sparrow."

"And Nina?" She asked in a hopefully expectant tone. Caesar hadn't expected her to ask that. He quietly pant-hooted. " _Don't think so."_

The Ape Queen sat up, careful to not disturb her sleeping baby as she did so. " _Talk to him."_

" _Blue Eyes?"_

The female rolled her eyes. " _Of course, Blue Eyes!"_

" _I will. After ceremony for baby tomorrow. Will you be well enough for it or do you want to wait longer?_ " Caesar caressed his wife's face as he awaited her answer.

"Tomorrow." She chuckled.

" _What's so funny?"_ Caesar asked, laughing himself.

His mate's laugh was contagious. It was one of the many things he loved about her.

 _ **I apologize for the loooong wait. I'm a senior in high school right now so I've been very stressed with college plans and making sure I pass all my classes so I graduate on time. Then there's drama going on in my love life and social life and well I'm kinda in a constant state of anxiety now. :( But I will endure and survive. (TLoU, anyone?)**_

 _ **I don't know when I'll be able to update again. Spring break is just around the corner for me so hopefully I can get a chapter or two up then.**_

 _ **Btw I plan on having this fic done before the new movie is released so yeah…**_

 _ **Next chapeter will be more Koba-centric. Poor bonobo didn't get much attetnion this time hehe**_

 _ **Question on the WftPotA trailers: Blue Eyes isn't in them, is he dead? What do you think? 0_0**_


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